Introduction to The Arts [Private Tutor]

[Byakko Yukiin]

Byakko, Yukiin was not himself, the sensation of having his flesh ripped apart with such apparent ease had left him stunned and confused, the second in a string of losses and failures that continued to pile up at his feet. They seemed like leeches, draining of him of something vital. The pride and force of will that he exuded innately had become chipped and given way to the slight sight of an unseemly shadow beneath that had begun to react oddly with his inhuman state. There was something dangerous in the depths down inside himself that licked its wounds and grumbled with barely restrained fury, a heat in his otherwise metaphorically and literally cold self.

As anyone with eyes could see it was unraveling him, slowly to be certain but he had an eternity now as an immortal to unravel and lose himself to something that wasn't himself. Perhaps he had been too prideful to believe that he had exceeded the state of his peers as Revenants, maybe they were in better shape to start with as well and a series of wounds and damages that a human could recover easily from, but which they could not, set them onto a path of self-destruction. This concerned Yukiin greatly and his playful nature in this place, his home, was diminished as he attended to his duties. The overall effect was that he had to sweep aside 'check ups' that he was certain he hadn't asked for and which were not the routine for Kinjutsu recovery to ensure that he wouldn't become completely unstable.

The medic snapped a coffee stick in half between his lips, growling as his talons dug into his desk at the sound of the alarm going off. He was losing control over these parts of himself as well, these animal pieces of himself which heralded a heritage that seemed so lost and foreign to him that he might as well call himself something else entirely. Byakko, inheritors of the Toroano's "beast powers" so to speak, born in the semblance of tigers and the like, what an odd thing to be...he considered that he had never really been human to begin with if he was honest. He'd tinkered with adjusting his physical form now that his skin was just for show but no matter how he tampered with it the claws came along for the ride. Removing them didn't help, several scattered 'bloody' claws and instruments were laid across his table as he attempted to declaw himself several times over the past few weeks and they simply regenerated.

Byakko, Yukiin worried that there were fights with himself that he might lose as he did to external ones.
It unsettled him.

Humanization was critical, or so he was told, so much of the educational work had been shifted onto his lap in order to keep him engaging with outsiders and to ensure his 'condition' didn't drift too severely without notice. He didn't care, he'd eat at himself anywhere so doing it in someone else's view didn't matter much.

Yukiin stretched his tendrils out, white vines capturing and releasing into their proper arrangement the desks and chairs in the study so that they were out of his way leaving only his own chair and the guest's chair. The room was laid out with various plants, not kept in pots and jars but left in clumps of sculpted dirt that let them run their vines freely and allowed their attendant to get the most out of them as kept plants grew poorly. Flowering blossoms and bulbs dotted the room haphazardly but the furniture in place was left untouched and in fine condition, these things weren't his to tamper with after all. Most offices had books and the like but Yukiin had removed most of them for his actual study, this was a place to deal with outsiders and he had no desire to impress them.

The only piece of technology running was a lone coffee pot, absurdly large and commanding as it was the only non-plant thing besides furniture in the room. It buzzed and churned near constantly. The contents were almost always fresh, several of the plants kept here were strains of cocoa plant modified to take up less space, yield faster, and recuperate the damage required to extract the beans. Yukiin had crushed several of these mere minutes ago and left the pot half full as he drew a cup and set it on the table between the pair of chairs, a platter of sugar cubes (also freshly made by the doctor himself, undyed in its natural brown) and a small pitcher of honey left to bring it to taste regardless of what appetites his guest.

Unless they didn't like coffee at all. At that point he might just have to kill them.
He smiled to himself, it was a funny thought.
Maybe not even a joke, guess they'd both learn something in that case...

The purpose of today's meeting was to gauge interest, scout talent, and educate on the mission and purpose of Kumogakure's Medical Branch. Yukiin had been forced into this 'advertisment' position despite the fact that he was a boy's height of a man filled with void, ice, and tendrils that could surgically extract organs...but somehow that made him one of the most friendly doctors available to chat with people.

He put on his best face, white hair neatly pulled back and teeth bared in the friendliest fashion he could engineer as he heard footsteps down the hall, a pair of them at least. Likely a secretary or attendant helping the student find their way to his office space, or maybe they were worried he'd do something rash...a rude assumption but not an unfair one. He was the first of his kind, what were they to expect him? There was no "So You've Brought Home Your First Unique Kinjutsu Monster" book about how to get a proper cage, bulb, and feeding schedule for your newly acquired monster...unless he wrote one.

Yukiin took one white icy tendril out, slipping from his skin, to hastily scribble that idea down on the notepad in front of him so he wouldn't forget.

Maybe his humor was recoverable after all.

He waited until the door opened and then spoke to the new potential recruit.

"Welcome, please have a seat and coffee if you prefer. I am Byakko, Yukiin. No one special, just a Medic so while I expect you to maintain respectful courtesy you do not need to feel excessive pressure. This is merely supplemental education and a way to gauge your aptitude and interest in our work, when you are comfortable please confirm your name, rank, and current knowledge of what we, as the Mednin Branch of Kumogakure, do for the village."

He was indifferently chill but to the point, like an ice cube pressed against the spine.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

She wanted to make a very good first impression. She had been taking standard classes for around two weeks now and was really starting to improve. Not at an amazing pace…but one that she accepted as okay. Basic chakra control was starting to do well and she had impressed a few teachers. Friends were still a bit of a problem but in the shinobi world she guessed it would be hard to really trust making a strong relationship. The amount of time someone lived tended to be fairly short in her line of work. This is what brought her to her class today.

She was going to leave her shoulder length dark hair down as usual but she made sure to wear clothing that would not get in the way of her work. Tight sleeves and not loose but not baggy top, shirt tucked in. Lean pants and gloves. Her shoes were closed toed and covered. She was making a trip to the Medical Facility today to take an introduction course on medical shinobi. If this was going to be her road in the future she needed to make sure whomever saw her would accept her. As such she was dressing as plain and clean as possible. No jewelry minus the hair clip to keep her bangs out of her eyes. No loose clothing to get into stuff. Yep she felt she was as ready as she could be.

The first thing that stood out was how opaque and sterile everything looked on the outside. It made her nervous. She had decided to wear mostly whites and greys which made her feel like she fit in…but she was really unsure. In fact she was quite nervous. She had no training or knowledge of anything medical and while that might sound normal for an eleven year old…some kids had been working hard to get here. It was another place where she would be making up and catching up to her peers. General Shinobi work took up so much of her time now…how would she make time to catch up here as well…

She blinked and breathed into her cold hands. “Inside we go now Airi…Come on!”

As she went into the building she found the reception desk quickly. When she got there though she looked a little concerned. The nurse’s uniforms…are those standard issue. She couldn’t help but notice that…well maybe it was just this one. “He…Hello. I am looking for Byakko-san. I am supposed to have an introductory session with him.” The nurse looked concerned for a moment and looked her over. She seemed to stand up and she felt like she was not as friendly as a receptionist nurse should be. She began to follow the lady.

As they walked she was informed that the gentleman she was meeting was respected and as such she should be respectful in return. She figured that would be the case…she was also told to take the coffee and to not worry if things seem weird…apparently there were a lot of plants where they were meeting? Either way she half jogged to keep up with the nurse, and eventually came to the room she was supposed to enter. With a small pat on her back and friendly smile the nurse quickly started to move away.

She took in an inward breath and mentally prepared herself. She had no idea what she was expecting but either way all she could say was, “Do your best Airi…make this worth his time…he could be helping people instead.” With one more breath she tentatively reached for the door and slid it open.

The second the door opened a voice that felt like ice spoke to her. It was calm and very quickly told her what was expected of her. She appreciated the brisk efficiency with which he addressed her…however…

She looked around and saw plants everywhere. She almost felt like she was in…one of those places they grow plants…the only technology she could find was a coffee maker. The smell filled the air and it made her feel uneasy. She was not a coffee drinking but through hell or high water she was about to do it. Especially since the lady told her to. It took her longer then she felt it should to start moving forward. It was not fear but overwhelmed senses. Everything had been so sterile till this room. It took her maybe fifteen seconds before she came back to herself.

As she walked forward she looked at the man in front of her. He said he was no one special but her senses told her he was. She could feel goosebumps growing on her arms and legs. Everything was mostly clear minus the table that was setup. It reminded her of her mother and father’s tea shop setup in a way. That strangely made her more comfortable. The man had white hair which was shocking to her. Was he old…? It was slicked back which she felt made sense given his profession. He had a smile on but something…felt off. She could not quite place it but she just felt like this man did not smile often. It was a shame really, if she was right and she could very well be wrong.

As she came forward she stopped just beyond the table and gave a quarter bow to the man before her. She had learned that with people who want direct military answers do not use excessive words. She kept her eyes closed and bowed though for respect. “Irie Airi, academy student two weeks in, my research has indicated that this building is one of the top Medical facilities in the world and is especially cutting edge with its research division. It trains the shinobi that are focused on survival combat operations, as well as treating the many bizarre and often difficult issues those with chakra possess. Finally it is also a location where hard and sometimes brutal decisions have to be made for the general safety and benefit of the country as a whole.”

She held herself firm, and as she finished she lifted her head to look him in the eyes. She gave a small smile but was unsure if being strict and formal was better. He mentioned to not feel pressure but that was going to be the case regardless. She kept her hands held in front of her to keep them to herself and just looked at him in the eyes. Her generic chocolate colored eyes looked boring when looking at this man. She had nothing going for her to stand out in any way did she?

[mft 1109 WC]

 

[Byakko Yukiin]

"Do you routinely brush your fingers on books and consider the light dusting 'reading'? These are the things we tell people, advertisement, public relations, but you are a shinobi and are coming into the world of uncomfortable realities."

His wording seemed like a scolding but the tone dulled the offense of it like a soothing balm, making his thoughts known but not digging his verbal talons in any deeper than he needed. A scratch was sufficient to get the point across that he found the answer dissatisfactory...he supposed he was becoming something like his own mentors in that way, although he had yet to attempt to concuss her into medical retirement. Yukiin wasn't usually a man of fiery tempers, though his experience on the battlefield drew it out at times, but he took his verbal scuffles with the same battle pattern as he took physical ones. The girl came in guarded and that invited probing, refusing to show him what he needed to make his assessment forced him to be like a crab and crack open the coconut.

"I do not make hard decisions, they are all very easy - whatever I can do within the law to bring the greatest success to Kumogakure and preserving its status as the Raikages gleaming arsenal. You and I are one blade among many, forged by the Main Branch's education and development process, and if I see rust or damage in you then I mend it up until you turn yourself against your kin, against this village, or against the Raikage."

Yukiins smile dripped off his face like melting ice as he molded himself into a more personable, real, form. His posture softened, the soft groan of his chair supporting him as his fingers tapped methodically on the tips of the feline claws that slid forth. One hand full of claws was occupied picking up sugar cubes and dropping them into a coffee cup as he continued speaking, eyes locked on the girl. This level of multi tasking was easy, he'd learned to do much, much, more.

"You may not agree but you are here to learn and take stock of the branch, thus I will speak candidly - there is nothing more important than procedure, it makes us better than the passion driven Konohagakure and the ritual dominated Sunagakure. Whether by birth, choice, or conscription you have arrived at the only correct choice for service. Here, in the Medical Branch, we reward you for that stroke of luck by commiting ourselves to making you great. If you commit yourself to Kumogakure, I in turn will lay my life on the line to ensure you achieve the greatest heights possible for you."

With his drink sufficiently diluted, the poisonous beverage already being heavily below dosage anyways as it'd take several pounds of caffeine to kill an adult, he lifted it to his lips with the cup in place. The liquid beverage flowed out, solidified into icy sticks like Pocky that slipped between the medic's lips. He held it in place like a cigar, the entire cups worth of chemical condensed into what was now drip feeding into his mouth. Normally it would melt with body heat but since he lacked that at this point, he took it in cold.

"If your natural limits prove insufficient, you may request me personally and I will be happy to liberate you from human constraints and offer to you the benefits gleaned from less committed peers. Sometimes a sword isn't the right weapon and we need to make you into a gun or something, happens all the time."

The Byakko threw his arms out in a wide theatric, unfurling with a burst of crystallizing ice being born and shattered in an instant to serve as a stand-in for the confetti that wasn't in the budget.

"That is the purpose of the Kumogakure Medical Branch - we handle weapons and sometimes we modify them into monsters or help those monsters blend into society as well as they can. Unfortunately calling it the monster factory keeps getting shot down at our quarterlies..."

He shrugged, sighing and exhaling a plume of frosted vapor as his internal temperature clashed vibrantly with the outside world.

"Speak freely here, you're protected under the law and thus by the Raikages blessing, you don't have to be so defensive. What do you think about my impressions of what we do here? Am I wrong? Am I lying? Honest impressions, I think it's a five star sales pitch but you're the first one to hear it so I value the sounding board."

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

The swiftness at which she was scolded made her flinch. It was a small one but one that he would notice considering he was a shinobi. She had given the best answer she could and he informed her it was not enough. She needed to be precise and accurate. As an outsider to the village she thought her answer had been good. She should have known better at this point. She needed to be better! Would have saying she did not know been better? She figured it would not have been. She figured this was a losing question.

Whenever someone says no pressure…always expect more pressure.

He did not come off as harsh though and she noticed that he was sitting down, like a principal of a school. She proceeded to sit down before he continued what he wanted to say. She was still nervous…unaware of what was bad or good. He made a comment about what the expectations were of being a shinobi. We are to be a shining example of a blade for the Raikage. She nodded as he said this. She knew she was becoming a weapon. Nothing hard or complex about it. Plain and simple.

It was then that the man seemed to ease up a bit. Her eyes stared blankly at the claws…nails…she was really confused by this. She had never…ever seen anything like this before and now she felt like she had been rude to stare so long. As she reached out for her cup she followed suit. She grabbed two cubes and noticed their color. They looked…interesting. Everything in this room was really throwing her off her game. He was relaxed and she was trying to be as well; really but this seemed like such a weird setting for a class.

It almost felt more like a date.

He in turn threw that away when he mentioned she was here to learn and study, to become the best and he in turn said that he would do everything in his power to make her great. No one yet here had spoken to her in such a way. It was constantly pushing and wearing them down. He said right here he would help her to achieve her greatest self. It was also bizarre because she felt like she could actually trust him. Her eyes and a small smile giving way to her face.

This was encouragement…right?

He was weird…but sincere. Then the conversation went…not darker per say but weirder. He mentioned how if she was not good enough on her own she could come to him and…liberate…her from her less…committed…peers.

She took up her coffee to cover what her lips might not be able to hide and then he opened his arms and ice came out and exploded into…what looked like party confetti. She paused mid sip as she watched in real confusion. The chilled room made her shiver and she gulped down luke warm coffee. The taste also made her flinch but she said earlier she would drink it.

Monster…factory…?

She looked confused and her head tilted as she was given this question. The last time she had been scolded but to be dis-honest would get her killed. She needed to be truthful. Yes truthful…was correct. She nodded as if commited.

She set the cup down and said, “It got me excited…the lows you started me at were only removed by making me feel like I could be useful, make me important at some point, with proper training and dedication.” She sipped the coffee and her eye twitched slightly. It was not bad but her taste buds were underdeveloped. She lacked the maturity for coffee. At least that was her excuse.

“I feel…monster factory is…incorrect. I do not believe you make monsters…I believe you give humans monster like qualities. Perhaps…a Human…Modification Center?” She had no idea what she was even saying…if this was what was really going on did that not mean they did not care for traditions or emotion. Do anything in the name of progression? Was that right…? Morally?

Who was she to understand morals?...she was going to kill…well potentially innocents in the future.

That thought chilled her blood.

In the name of progression…when it came to survival? For domination? Could morals even exist? She looked at him and then went out to say, “Potential Achievement Center? P.A.C. has a good ring to it? Besides that I think monster is a hard term to place on anything…it seem…vague and if you ask me potentially leads to others misunderstanding what is done here. Monster has a negative connotation to it when really you are just making shinobi better…right?”

Would this be satisfying? She was being honest if nothing else. She thought his presentation was cute and it did make her excited. “If nothing else…it did make me really excited to get to work. It made want to become better than I ever could be. I think that makes it successful, right Byakko-san?”

 

[Byakko Yukiin]

"Inspiration is helpful but I should be blunt - things like myself do not adopt 'monster-like qualities', some of my kindred beasts might disagree but they're deluded...there is a price to the spark of creativity, the flames of passion, and the embers of effort."

Yukiin's body remained unmoved as he spoke, though the action beneath his outward skin was much more erratic, churning white slush slowly snaking its way to the skin so that as he finished his words they were prepared to allow him to 'stretch'. In order to become more comfortable, less restrained in this man-suit, and to put emphasis on his point he smiled again, only this time its sincerity was genuine - being able to slip out of this skin was something he rarely allowed himself to do but perhaps that was part of his losing streak. Refusing to truly, deeply, acknowledge what he was but keeping a false skin on...how could you win when you were denying yourself? He'd have to learn though, he really couldn't be out in public like this but for here...for her?...it didn't matter. She would be better for the knowledge or she would be tainted by it in the same way he had and pursue this type of monstrous status. Perhaps he could make another Collector like himself instead of that older model of Osuteno's kin, that might help him better understand things.

While he was thinking, the room was changing.
Largely because he was filling it.

Tendrils of white, icy, fluid erupted and snaked out as the Medic's flesh shook with the churning of many, many, more of these things. Each of the hundreds of them coiled out and spread into the room, some draping along the ground, others escalating to the ceiling, but each of them seemed intent on shielding the body in the center from as much light and heat as possible. The ceiling light was quickly drowned out leaving only a few stray rays to fall down and conceal much of the specifics of the strands of something that were now consuming the room like a rolling tide. They worked their ways into the roots and vines of the plants as well, carefully avoiding direct contact so as to not kill them though Yukiin truly detested having to deal with the living warmth that he had a shell to protect himself from in the first place. The girl's body heat was much more glaring, like having a lighter pressed to his eye, but that was all humans so he'd grown accustomed to it already. The writhing mass finally settled as the central form slipped free from the skin it was wearing, the dimmed lighting making it hard to discern exactly the gruesome details for the girl's sake...she'd probably never seen a snake shed its skin, let alone a monster.

Byakko, Yukiin's pale, smooth, featureless face peered back without eyes as his long, clawed, fingers adjusted the fringes of his secondary 'skin' in the form of a jet black suit and tie. Even as a monster he had taste and decency.

His tendrils shuddered and retreated, each of them reeling back like a tape measure snapping into his core form and throwing the curtains as they did so to ensure that only the light above and the cracks seeping through the door illuminated him. His flesh was bone white, supernaturally flawless and pristine, almost allowing him to pass for human if it weren't for the fact that he was missing a face. That featureless thing that heard without ears and saw without eyes peered at its guest, Yukiin growing to bend his body against the ceiling now like a monster ready to pounce, ten wickedly sharp talons fused into his fingertips without seam or blemish which each dangled from the arms that he left drape into the floor. Several of the tendrils were left outside of the body, writhing in the air in a slow rythm as Yukiin sighed once more, deeper, louder, and more sincere as the muscles he didn't have no longer ached from being crammed into a skin that hadn't been his for months now.

He couldn't smile anymore, sincerely or otherwise, and any impression of his mood was left purely to Miss Arie's ability to intuit from the 'chakra' signature he produced, though in truth he was absent of the stuff - everything inside of him was something alien.

A tendril snatching up the husk he'd left behind and draping it over his office chair like a jacket in disuse. He even folded the arms in.

"The point should be quite clear to you now, there is a danger in these passions that you will lose something, no matter how small, in the hunger to know strength. To me, every source of heat and light is a blinding and burning annoyance, you sitting here is a lot like having a coal pressed to my skin, but in exchange I'm supposedly quite difficult to kill...hard to say exactly, nobody's really tried before...you may call me human but I know what a human is, they're a species of torches and I have no warmth to offer, in a very literal sense. We're different, in that way at minimum."

The 'man' picked the coffee stick from his skin's mouth with a talon, face splitting apart at its invisible seams to allow the substance to be inserted inbetween absent teeth.

"If these kinds of things frighten you it would be wise to seek employment elsewhere, you mentioned that the chakra-endowed represent a challenge for our medical abilities but many of our patients offer these types of unique challenges as well. I'm unique in my family but my family is not very small, in order to excel as Medic you must also be able to treat things with several bodies, no heart beat, chakra apparitions, and other such marvels. I don't want to repeat myself - we make weapons and we make monsters, if you'd like to hunt them then you may pursue a career in the Main Branch and if you prefer that your opponents be typically human in variety then the ANBU are always looking for more cannon fodder."

A dreadful chill spread through the air as the expressionless thing known as Byakko, Yukiin chuckled softly, hollowly, to himself.

"Although these days those two are fighting over what their tasks exactly are..."

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Yukkiin spoke to her again but this time it was something much more than just a mere spoken word. As he spoke he mentioned prices, passion, and sparks of inspiration. He also mentioned that he did not simply “adopt” monster like qualities. Something…sickly and white began to fill up the room. She noticed that maybe it had always been here? She started to get a dreadful feeling. Almost as if something in this room was telling her to run, to not be here. She never thought she would feel like this while in the safety of the village…

As she looked around her eyes were away from Yukkiin almost all of the light was drained from the area. Things seemed to be in control and Yukkiin was not worried. Everything should be quite fine…right?

As she turned her eyes back towards Yukkiin she had a hard time seeing through all the darkness. It looked like he was moving but it was quite hard to tell. As she looked more and more closely she began to notice that it looked like Yukkiin had…removed his coat? She did not remember if he was wearing one or not but she started to glean that the figure before her…looked very different to what she had been seeing before.

It felt like ice shot up her spine as realization started to take root in her mind. As if something from horror or from the deepest part of her mind was bubbling to life. She notice…it had no face. Its body was massively bigger then she had realized and it had massive sharp talons. Her whole body froze now that she was really processing. She felt a need to scream…a need to panic…what was this?

She felt like nothing had changed…minus the appearance it still felt like the same person she had been speaking to. As she now realized the…outer layer? Of Yukkiin was being laid over the chair like a coat. Her heart was slowly beating quicker and quicker. If it was not for the bizarre movements she felt she would scream. She even felt sick to her stomach but in the end she felt acting out would lead to…terrible things. Nothing bad had happened to her yet…

He showed her this…his…true form…? As a means to show her what she would be dealing with in this line of work. He spoke down to her…at least her impression. He mentioned that if she was not wise enough, or courageous enough that this was not the field for her. He mentioned hunting them and she just looked…confused. Why should they be hunted? Was he killing innocents? He had not scooped her away to do terrible things. No he was in this system and he was working on people and making a difference.

The eyes of a child are indeed foolish…

“Of…Of…of…course…”

She swallowed a bit and then saw her drink and sipped it. She still wanted to puke and get sick. She wanted to curl up into a ball. She was not prepared for such things. She was not ready for this by any stretch. She heard in her mind the guy who said she was wasted effort. If she backed down now…

“I…am…terribly…scared…”

He hands were shacking and she held them in front of her. Annoyance at her trembling fear. She could not afford to be weak. Not if a friendly being just…stood there. He…? It…? She was going to go with him. She had not been threatened once…and she doubted no one knew about him like this. Gods…she was so afraid…

She bit her lip and continued; “I…don’t know…but I can…fight through…this fear. I have to…”

She paused and wrapped her hands around herself to keep her own chill down. “If…I ran now…I could never…handle…being a…shinobi.” She aimed to put a smile on her face as she looked towards the being before her. There were more of him out there like this. Ones that would not hesitate to tear her apart. If nothing else, if she could study them. She could defend or save them. She did not know what else to say to him.

Maybe it was fear, panic, or stupidity but she simply added, “You…have a…regal look. It’s…pretty, for something…from children’s nightmares.”

She felt really stupid now but…he looked to her like a something that would come from heaven to fight against the vicious beasts of shadow and blood. Maybe it was his white appearance, or the fact that he was so sophisticated. She had no real idea. Maybe this was just her mind trying to calm her, a stupid joke to tell yourself. She was trying to rationalize that this was okay and everything would be fine. It was all just simply foolish of her to try and paint this in a better light to ease herself. Yet she still did it.

[MFT 811]

 

[Byakko Yukiin]

"Regal? If only, its impossible to tailor a 'suit' that is part of me...although I guess I haven't tried yet." Yukiin responded, a tendril tugging at one of his collars to test its looser fit around his extremities which was an agitation he greatly preferred over the completely loose fit of having the outer flesh of a human wrapped around him. Sort of like preferring to wear a t-shirt with an itchy tag over wearing several shirts ontop of it. The word really struck him, like a stone against the cheek, and he ilted in his head in confusion while he gave some other topics of interest that she had managed to communicate their due mental weight before he approached them. He was a cautious creature by habit and disliked putting himself in situations that had no clean escapes and left him worse for wear for no benefit.

"There are different kinds of monster, you may not yet understand this but the shinobi world is steeped like strong tea in the bias and favoritism of our in-group distinctions. The difference between a monster you kill and a monster you ally with is who is allied to you and who is documented, every one of us is known to Kumogakure and those who fail or refuse to register are no better than outsiders. In order to make these changes there are sacrifices and we should not expect to pay a heavy cost for something that won't even do the courtesy of letting us know its here..."

He, or rather it, slid its talons into its chest, slipping through like a ripple in a pond to extract the dripping white crystalline core that was not in current heavy use, though the action gave him a violent whiplash of cognitive capacity and memory loss. Removing one of his cores was a great weakness but Ari knew nothing of his nature, few besides himself did, so this type of deception was invaluable. If he made it look painless then it might spread the idea that these extractions were harmless to him and spare him any attempts to rip them out by enemies.

Yukiin dangled the white crystal, swirling and burning with white heatless vapors cradled between his talons.

"This is another person's extraction, this process kills them if they aren't already dead. Monsters are an amalgamation of killing, we each represent our own stack of corpses so it is right and just to control who receives these benefits and who does not. You wouldn't want us using your family to give power to someone untrustworthy or someone who would use it poorly, when I refer to using your less loyal and skilled peers as materials I mean this is a very literal sense; if the boy you sit next to decided to make a run for the gates and perished in the effort, I would make use of him to help one of us improve. When I die, the same will be done with me and with you when you inevitably fall in battle. These are the gifts of shinobi before us, our ancestors and our unworthy fueling the efforts of our village's future. Anyone who would take these gifts from Kumogakure, anyone who would be given them without our consent and knowledge, and anyone who would acquire them through outside means to fight against us..."

A tendril of his snapped into action, acting on impulse and ripping through his table in a swift crack. A quick, clean, cut that he turned his heads towards momentarily before sighing and moving on with his chatter. These things were consequences of becoming an amalgamation, direct manipulation of his entire form was extremely taxing so leaving most of himself to do whatever it saw fit on instinct was best practice but when his emotional status shifted...well, that 'beast' sitting inside of him misbehaved. Whatever it was, it annoyed him.

"...well, you get the idea. I will not suffer a traitor to live."

The core slipped back into his palm and traveled back into his center, the strain on his psyche reverting as his mental faculties resharpened. There wasn't much he could realistically do to assuage her fears at the moment, if he talked down to her to reassure her that she was safe it might achieve the opposite effect and be overall a negative impact. It was best to let her sort herself out, he could've touched her with some medicinal chakra and kept her heart in a steady beat but this was depriving her of the learning experience of feeling fear. Better to learn in a safe, controlled, environment than lose control over it in the battlefield.

"Still, these are only my impressions. I am one creature, I would encourage you to pursue knowledge of other branch offerings. Others may express different opinions of what we do here, we are several divisions operating towards one common goal and it is simply part of my work to repurpose criminals, traitors, and failures into things that will benefit Kumogakure."

He shrank back into his seat, though the chair groaned for the effort, and in a literal sense also shrank as his stray tendrils retreated back into his flesh entirely leaving only the lanky creature with its normal two arms and its slit-like not-mouth chewing on iced coffee sticks. Yukiin didn't want to yet return to his personal cage of flesh but he didn't need to get too comfortable either, it was giving the girl enough heart issues as it was and this was hardly a controlling gesture from him.

"I invite any questions you have, it is your time ultimately to use as you see fit."

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Byakko-san does not like to take compliments does he? This was twice now that she was trying to ease into this...reveal and as such she had been rebuffed by him twice. Okay...so this a class or tutoring session about the medical branch. His reveal was not a personal thing but more so looking into her saying would you help me. Well she would do anything that she could to help this and any other person but the real question that she felt floating in the air was...why did he drop this on an academy student? She guessed that he wanted ther to save time, if she would be halted here then she might as well not even look into this field.

The next part that was spoken made a lot of sense to her. As he was speaking she felt herself getting less tight and more relaxed. He really looked like a controlled monster, but she did find his coloration to be distinct and regal. As he slid his hand over his chest he pulled out this beautiful white crystal. It was...breathtaking to say the least.

Everyone was a monster...those like him simply make sure that the death is not a waste and further used to make things better for the living...or in his case those on the side of the village. She nodded, really taking this part in. Maybe it was because the core itself looked like beautiful jewelry which...while she normally did not enjoy jewelry...this was enchanting. It should have bothered her more that this was someone’s...essence but it did not. If she watched the process it would probably make her sick, that or maybe then she would really grow to dislike it.

As he went on the jewel seemed more like a mentor or master. A very real core of power passed on to better where she lived. Could those cores even make someone as dull as her…

She heard the voice and felt the rocks that were thrown at her at the obstacle course. She saw that core as a possible means…were her eyes for the first time suddenly filled with greed?

He forze stiff when he cut the table before her, it also brought her back to her senses. She nodded quickly to show that she had been paying attention. Do not betray those who raise you...got it…!

The core quickly got sucked back into his body. She had almost forgotten about it in the excitement. This conversation was throwing her emotions around all over the place. She had no idea how she should be acting anymore. What should she be saying? What should she be doing? Was she even...well no she was learning sure but was this what the point of it was? She felt lost and she was trying hard to make this person at least see her in a neutral light by the end of this.

He sat back down in his chair, saying that all of these were just his opinions and she needed to seek out more answers and speak to more people to decide for herself. No one was going to give her a decision. Even, according to him, running was an option. A deadly one but still an option all the same. In the end he opened up the floor to her.He said to ask any question she wanted.

She noticed the cut table and stood up. She needed to be in control of herself. “What is your advice on how to proceed if the medical field is for me?” She paused for a moment as she looked at him...once again looking dignified as if this was exactly how and where he should be. “How did you find out where your place was?” Another personal question…

“What made you decide...to become as you are now?” She was really going to knock onto his personal life now wasn’t she. “What did this field offer that the others did not offer?” She also gave him a quizzical look. “Can you have children?”

The last one was just a simple curiosity.

[MFT]

 

[Byakko Yukiin]

"My place is where I do the most good for my village, I am best suited to work with corpses out of sight, mind, and political structure. Cadavers and soon-to-be-cadavers don't have a lot of ability to interfere with my work and the only people I regularly deal with are my branch superiors who understand my position and my inferiors who also understand my position. This leaves me to do my work where I am normally not expected to entertain guests. The ANBU are steeped in mind-numbing politics and the Main Branch has to habitually deal with students. Students are too much of a gamble and they ask questions about your genitals, apparently."

The creature cracked and swallowed one of his coffee sticks, chuckling as he swallowed the liquid energy. He could do that now, since his voice didn't actually attach itself to any physical cords he could do anything he wanted and talk at the same time. Hadn't tried it before but it was very convenient now that he gave it a shot. She was asking the kinds of questions that Osuteno had in his own time, or rather questions similar to his comments and concerns. Yukiin didn't know if that made her a good fit or a poor one, the way her eyes caught the glimpse of his core implied that she might be easy to sway and thus a danger to herself and her village. She wasn't internalizing what he was saying, all surface level considerations...

Same as him, in his own time. That time hadn't been very long ago though but the separation of humanity and inhumanity made all the prior time feel as distant as if it had been another lifetime.

"I am still human in species, theoretically I am capable of interbreeding with normal humans naturally although artificial methods prepared prior to my transformation are preferable as it involves fewer complications. If you're asking whether or not I already have children or about my life outside of work then you won't get those answers, you can't do any good with that information."

He gestured to his office space, hands opened to the place devoid of pictures. The noise escaped his lips quietly and with the skill he rarely used these days, his voice cast itself from one of the darkened corners of the room. Ventriloquism was a dying art but it made his point succinctly.

"Hey it's me, the foreign ANBU agent's spy bug hiding in the corner of this office to capture intelligence on you so I can show up in your sleep and gut your entire clan. Please tell us all about your family life outside of work so we can use it to coerce you into crimes against the state."

Yukiin ejected a tendril into the talking void, crushing a stray insect from one of the vines before retracting it back into himself. He couldn't frown or smile or make any real expression in this state but a sense of humor did not always imply that he found the topic humorous.

"You get the idea. I will talk about work, I will not talk about home. I appreciate your curiosity but I can't humor it beyond hypotheticals." Yukiin concluded from his own lack of lips.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

“I WAS NOT ASKING ABOUT THAT!” Her face was flush red when he finished speaking. “and to think I was going to comment on how deep you last point was.” She crossed her arms and turned away from him. A pout on her face. “Honestly…”

So his work was more research and maybe not necessarily ethical by normal standards. They were being made into living weapons Airi had at least grown up enough to realize that debating ethics when they were going out and killing one another was a silly concept. Something he did say really did strike home with her. He had said his place was where he could do the most good for the village. Airi could already tell that she would never be the top battle shinobi that had ever been. It just was not in her to cause that much destruction. She could maybe get strong…but she did not want to be known for that. She wanted to help people and she wanted to be able to be there when times really counted. As such…as she looked around this room. Maybe, she really should focus on becoming a monster creator or as she would prefer to call it. A doctor.

All this went on while she noticed he seemed to really enjoy whatever he was…eating? She could barely tell anymore with whatever Byakko was. When he gave her a logical answer to her question her eyes did slim a bit as if wondering if he was just humoring her. “I just wanted to know that if I made the same decisions as you what “all” the consequences are. If I could never have a child it might be a real issue.”

As an example as to what she had said suddenly Byakko’s voice came out from a dark corner of the room. She turned red again for a very different reason. She had not even considered that concept. Since they were becoming dangerous and powerful weapons of course they would or could be used against them. Byakko may avoid children entirely due to that weakness it might impose. She shifted a little and bowed her head slightly, “I-I-I…am sorry. I did not think…very stupid of me to come to this conclusion. Thank you for the many lessons you have been giving me.”

He really had given her a lot of the mental training she realistically needed. The academy being only two weeks in was really pushing out those who could not physically do it…she now began to fear the mental training that would come. She needed to start getting ready for that now so that way she could maybe become slightly above average.

“Two questions come to mind Byakko-sensei…one is really if I want to join the medical field and then potentially come and work somewhere in your field. What steps should I begin now so that way I can be as useful as possible upon entering into this establishment?” She paused for a moment and then went ahead and asked it, “Are there people who specially help those along those paths…you said everyone needed to be registered…”

She really was not terribly interested in what Byakko was exactly but…there would be others and even then she could stay the same as she was. She just really wondered if there was a system in place to help those get to where Byakko was now.

 

[Byakko Yukiin]

Yukiin waved off the remarks of her own intelligence and abilities.

"You are young, ignorant, and untrained. These are things you should not be ashamed about or apologize for, they are why you are chosen to be a shinobi after all - you can still be molded into something of worth. Water can be shaped, if you were already ice that job would be impossible."

He rose out of his chair.

"As I said, there are ways to get around these issues with preparation and forethought prior to the transformation process into one of the handful of known Kinjutsu that would make it difficult or impossible for you to reproduce, although there are plenty of options that don't interfere beyond the level of normal bloodline concerns or unique lineage features. As for who helps you along 'the path' that depends on what you mean. The path to joining the branch? Not my business but its easy enough, declare your intention to your educating overseer or whatever they call themselves these days and they'll make those arrangements...as far as becoming a monster?..."

Byakko, Yukiin pressed his fingers to his chest with one hand, taking a heavy bow and flourish with the other.

"I perform the transplants, modifications, and sub-species changes here as of late. I would be happy to assist you in dying into a better creature."

He returned to his position, talons fetching his skin from his chair as his form compressed itself back inside of it like an octopus sliding through a slim opening, the quivering, liquid-imitating, black and white creature filling out the flesh of the thing he no longer was until its eyes lit up once more. Yukiin stretched himself out, yawning as he cracked his knuckles and standing near his table. His eyes surveyed the damage unfavorably, clicking his teeth at it before resuming the conversation.

"There are many options for Kinjutsu but they all come with costs, research what you can access legally..."

Yukiin's eyes narrowed sharp as a dagger as the word left the tip of his tongue. Legality was critically important here.

"And ask questions of those you know who possess them which is...just about every single person who is a Chunnin equivalent or above. Be aware that the strain on your body is destructive if you do not possess the appropriate amount and force of chakra, thus we prefer to operate with B Rank or higher but some C Rank have the ability to withstand it. You can ask any Medic to make that assessment of you if you don't prefer my insight in the matter and you can similarly ask for any qualified Medic to perform the operation, or do things yourself....I know I did. If anyone asks though, I didn't encourage you to do that."

Yukiin slipped a claw out from one of his freshly stretched and cracked fingers, the bone white edge glowing with the green luster of medical chakra. "Learning how to change your chakra nature is important but so is actual knowledge of the flesh, its inner workings are a chore and many of the things that make shinobi powerful also, as you said earlier, make them hard to treat. You should be able, even at your level, to create enough medical chakra to heal and create minor wounds. I would work on rabbits or other small mammals, they're simpler."

A white tendril slipped out from his back, somewhere deep inside the skin he had cloaked himself in once more, and presented itself as the Medic pressed the glowing talon to its surface, slowly dragging it along the entire circumference without actually touching it. The chakra did the work and once he was finished the cut was visible as the tendril slipped off, slumping to the floor as the inflicted wound vomited out more of the white not-blood he was filled with. It was a clean, but heavy, cut as it left the tendril split in two.

"A scalpel."

Another tendril grabbed the separated bit, pressing it back against the stump as Yukiin traced his claw along it once more, the flowing of blood shuttering up into a trickle and finally ceasing entirely as he finished the same rotation in reverse. The appendage flexed itself out, demonstrating the reversal of injury.

"A stitch."

Both of the extra appendages shirked away, back into their containment as he flicked out the other four of his claws on that hand and held them out for examination as they each smoldered with the green energy. Chakra was typically invisible so medics had a great advantage in that their art made its application perceptible to the human eye, learning how to use it was so much easier when you could see it.

"You can, you will, do both with the same hand. If you want to learn how to be a Medic then you have homework - its called the Mystical Hand technique and you will learn it if you want anyone's attention in this branch. If you want mine? Well, I hope you get good with rabbits because until you can pull its heart out without spilling blood on my table you don't have the kind of talent to be a Harvester."

Yukiin snapped his fingers, a gust of wind snatching up the door and pulling it open as he did so.

"You're dismissed."

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Byakko-san informed her that when it came to her shinobi path it would be much more advisable to speak to someone within the academy themselves and give her the materials necessary to moving into whatever branch she herself would choose. He then took a long bow and said that whatever it was that was necessary to become…more like him. He would first suggest that she do research into it, provided this was done in a legal manner. His voice sharp as ice when he let that part out. Byakko-san was very critical about rules and openness, something that she would come to remember for a long time.

He pointed out that she needed to have the appropriate amount of physical strength as well as mental fortitude. Basically she would not be doing this anytime soon. That was fine with her, this would be a bigger decision along the way. He also mention to make sure that if anyone were to ask that he did not encourage this. She secretly looked at him and wondered…was he really against it? She felt like earlier in the conversation she was being told that only those who really wanted to be the best did it. She figured maybe it was just him covering himself.

He also mentioned as a potential bonus to begin learning real medicine. Start with animals and things and begin work on manipulation the nature of her chakra…whatever that was. She figured she could find a book on it. Working outside of school would be the key to catching up to her peers.

What she had not expected was being able to watch a master cut open sew back up a wound. She stared long after he had finished doing everything in her power to commit this to memory. Lessons by someone skill costed a fortune and while it might have been something basic she knew she needed to keep close tabs on exactly what he was doing.

He mentioned that she absolutely needed to learn a specific medical technique if she was to even be considered. She marked that down as the very next thing she would do. She still was unsure if this was going to be her home but she felt like she could see herself handling the tasks.

As a large gust of wind pushed forward and opened the door he mentioned that she was dismissed. She felt awkward…what should she do? She bowed deeply and said, “Thank you for your time Byakko-san!” With that she quickly moved out of the room, only taking one last glance before fully turning the corner to leave.

Her goal was to make sure that Byakko-san never questioned her loyalty. She would become strong by her own means! She would make sure she was the best at what she did. Period. She made her way through the hallways and thanked the nurse who brought her. She made her way out and immediately made her way to the library. Research was key.

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