The Tadashii
The Tadashii is, and always has been, a religious order focused on the worship of the gods and the safety of their homeland, Wind Country. At least this is what followers would have you believe now, but it hasn’t always been this way. The Tadashii has a checkered past, starting many generations ago when the first of the Faita Clan began their journey down the path. Faita Chi was the first Faita to feel the power of the god Itami. An expedition below Sungakure lead Chi to a temple that had been forgotten for centuries, over run with mold and spiderwebs. Chi accidentally destroyed the temple altar and a double barreled beam of intense chakra shot out from it glowing red on one side and green on the other. Chi was pulled towards the chakra streams and as if under a spell he reached out and placed a hand inside the red chakra. His chakra was fused with this new source and his eyes glowed red as images of the gods and their power, knowledge not meant to be known by man was given to him. The chakra also infected him, it turned him mad and made him attack the village.
Chi had a friend, a member of the Yamazaki clan who had been in Sungakure for almost as long as the Faita. This man was Yamazaki Doro and he was an expert on seals, along with several other shinobi he found a way to save his friend from being killed by sealing the chakra’s dark influence but it was too late. Chi was wanted by the rest of the village and so he had Doro take him to the temple where Doro found the beam of green chakra coming out of the broken altar. It possesses him as the red chakra did to Chi, and Doro finds himself imbued with the green chakra’s power. Doro also sees the same images but it only makes his mind clearer. He takes action and cuts off his friend’s hands so he couldn’t perform handseals and closes off the entrance to the temple in order to seal him inside. The key to the seal required a single person to possess both chakra sources, for the purpose that he could never escape.
It was years later when Chi child started to grow ill. He was a young boy when he started going crazy like his father, starting slowly by picking fights with fellow students and then picked up to destroying property. Doro was called and upon inspecting the boy he found that he had the same chakra that Chi had coursing through his veins. Somehow the child acquired the cursed chakra despite not having any contact with it or his father. Doro used the same seal to lock away the power but couldn’t find it in his heart to kill the boy. The people sought answers and Doro gave them to the people, explaining everything that had happened except substituting Chi’s death instead of sealing him in the temple. He tells the people that the god Itami came out of him and killed him there in the temple, and that was when Soro sealed the entrance to keep the power of the god locked away. Then he went into words about Ai’s gift and her power that coursed through him. That was when they formed the Tadashii, building a large temple under the old one where the Faita and Yamazaki clans met to worship their goddess.
Doro’s aging almost halted completely, and he was given title of leader of the Tadashii for many generations. Each one a new Faita Child was born with Itami’s chakra and each one Doro sealed that power away from them. Eventually Doro died and a new leader was needed to lead the now brain washed clans. This started a war that broke the families apart, each one thinking they deserved the spot. Eventually the Yamazaki clan left the Tadashii to live their own lives, and forget about the Tadashii and their gods. The Faita clan continued to run the Tadashii with the sealed Faita acting as their leader each generation due to bloodline. The tradition continued for many generations and worked well for them, and in time they forgot about the Yamazaki clan as well.
War Machine
Eventually there was a child born that didn’t take well to the seal, and Itami’s darkness flowed through him ever so slightly. He grew up a troublemaker, and was shunned by the Tadashii who refused to let him take over leadership and cast him out onto the streets. This child grew up to be Faita Tasogare, the first to see the images of the gods since Chi. Tas, as he was known, was eventually healed by his younger brother Jin who learned how to fix the seal to keep Itami’s darkness out. Tas felt guilt for everything Itami’s power made him do and so he focused his life on being a medic to help heal those who were hurt. He won over the hearts of the Tadashii and finally took over from the council who took control after Tas’ father’s death.
The council stayed in the background as Tasogare’s aid, helping him to become the leader the Tadashii needed. It was Tas who was the first leader to suspect there was something going on in the order. He found that the people seemed brainwashed and didn’t have their own thoughts. Before he could look into it the Faita seal broke, and Itami’s power was released in his image. A giant wolf made of chakra came out of Tas’ body and started attacking the Tadashii temple. Tas’ brother Jin used what knowledge he had to alter the seal to trap Itami inside Tas’ body. The man became one with the god and was able to use his strength in battle, and access his chakra like no other Faita before him.
Then there was Yamazaki Zokkupoi, known affectionately as Zoi, who Tas met years before as a medic, treating her and her team after missions. She was extremely strong despite being incredibly short, and she made him feel good in a way that no one ever had. It was after Itami being sealed inside him that they joined together and Zoi became pregnant with their child, a girl named Nenogami. After she was born Zoi ran from the village, having been hiding an illness that was forcing her to lose her mind. Tas raised the girl and over the years became much closer to Itami. They became one and had a connection that Chi didn’t have, allowing him complete control of Itami’s power.
However, the council began to grow weary of their leader as their plans were being interfered with. They believed that Nenogami was necessary in breaking the seal that locked away the gods. They believed their actual essences were locked inside and if they could access it then they could somehow bring an end to the fighting of the world. They called her the war machine and said their studying of the seal led them to believe they needed someone with the power of Ai and Itami inside them. They felt the power inside of Nenogami and saw it in her red and green eyes. They attempted to take her and Tas fought back by unleashing Itami’s full power to kill them all. As he killed the leader of the council a curse was placed on him, causing his body to transform into Itami’s beast form. Tas transformed into a large wolf, incapable of speech or performing jutsu except for sand, seemingly due to his Sunaku bloodline.
Nenogami was raised by Jin, and by manipulating sand Tas was able to have limited speech by forming words with it. Jin raised Neno to be the leader of the Tadashii, and as she grew older it was more and more apparent that she was definitely special. She grew up to be very loving like her father, and when she became of age she took control of the Tadashii. Under Neno the order went down a new direction that was less focused on the pain caused by the gods’ presence in their world and more about the good it has done. No longer was she known as the war machine but as the Sage or Shaman, leader of the people. This all started with a dream she had which featured the late Yamazaki Doro, telling her that he was wrong to seal away the power. His spirit now believed that the visions he had of the future were coming true and the power of the god and goddess were necessary to save the village. He told her that one day she would have a son who would be born of his lineage, a true walker of the spirit realm. Then he gave her special instructions for raising him, and told her that he would take care of the rest.
Awakening
((BL application))
The Tadashii changed from a religious cult bent on hiding the power of the gods into an organization of highly skilled Shinobi… posing as a peaceful religious order. They kept their true mission a secret from the village but became more involved in the daily affairs of their fellow man. More and more Tadashii joined the village’s shinobi ranks at the request of their leader. Nenogami insisted that their people start learning the arts to help defend their home when the time came, and years went on before the Tadashii sage had a child of her own who would one day take over. The day he was born Neno could feel his connection to the universe, and she saw it in his eyes which matched hers: One green and one red. She named the boy after her father, Tasogare, and insisted to her followers that he would one day save their home. The Tadashii celebrated the birth of their future leader and once he came of age he was sealed with the family seal. According to Doro’s dream instructions Neno changed the seal slightly to allow a small flow of the gods’ influence into him.
As Tas was growing up he was given special care from the rest of the Tadashii. He was raised by the highest priests in the order to take on the heritage of Yamazaki Doro. From a young age Tas was capable of seeing things others couldn’t, both literally and metaphorically. He spoke of the dead often as if he were speaking to them, and it was believed by most that he was. The followers grew to fear the child just as much as they praised him, but still he grew stronger. Neno spared no expense to give him the best teachers, and she herself made sure that her son knew the different between right and wrong. However, as the boy grew older he began to see the world wasn’t so black and white. He began to lose interest in the Tadashii and his family and became enveloped in his studies. He knew he had a destiny to live up to and that was all he knew, and he didn’t care what it was he was supposed to save the village from as it wasn’t his place to ask questions. He knew only that there was a balance to uphold and he would uphold both sides.
It wasn’t until his teenage years that he really saw what he was meant for. Some members of the Tadashii began to worry that teenager was headed down a dangerous path. He was becoming strong quickly and in their eyes he was losing to the dark energy inside him. For Tas, however, he wasn’t giving in to the light or dark as he advocated that they were both necessary, Itami and Ai’s existences were an example. A few of these members got together in secret wearing fake ANBU masks to hide their identities and sought to strike him down. On arrival one of the members of the group was put off by the aura the boy was putting off, as if he were only partly in this world of theirs. He was talking to the spirits of old Suna but it appeared as if he were talking to himself.
The group attacked but Tas was quick to react, creating a large barrier of Earth that glows with a faint green aura. As they strike the barrier it smashes into pieces but they also appear to be damaged. Tas turns and it’s seen that his green eye is covered in a green fire that flows wistfully to the side. The group recovers quickly and keeps charging head first, despite Tas’ plea for them to quit their foolishness. Tas puts as much restraint behind his attacks as possible, sensing the enemies’ connection to himself. In the end Tas prays to the goddess Ai, allowing her love to favor him and in his mind he saw the mens’ attacks and where they would come from. This was a new gift to Tas, and when he came through he was able to effortlessly dodge the next string of attacks and with one mighty blow buried the three of them in the sand. In the back of his mind a voice told him to kill them, finish burying them in the sand and leave them to suffocate.
The future sage ignored this voice and the green flame on his eye grew brighter. Hearing a voice behind him Tas acted as any Shinobi would and turned to attack, but he was blocked and brought down to one knee with a single blow to the back of his knee. The stranger spoke with a gruff voice saying that he was a friend, and Tas would give him the benefit of the doubt since he was the one who attacked the man first. The stranger introduced himself as Kuragari and explained that he too had the same gifts. Tas didn’t understand and this gave the grown man a few thoughts, but he only spoke of one out loud. He told Tas that he had noticed him around talking to thin air, but he knew the boy wasn’t talking to the air but rather the spirits around him. Then he began telling Tasogare about the art of the Onmyodo, and how he could teach Tas to harness this gift of his.
[[WC:907]]
The Cursed Sage
((Kinjutsu application; Dark Sage))
Tasogare needed to reach his full potential, and believing that without training with Kuragari he wouldn’t reach that potential he agreed to train under him. He spent the next few years learning everything he could from Kuragari. It wasn’t just the onmyodo techniques that he had to offer but the man was also a great ninja warrior who helped to perfect Tas’ ninjutsu. Tas rid himself of all other teachers his mother had acquired for him and almost lost his connection to his family and the Tadashii all together. He was wrapped up in gaining the power that he knew he would one day have. This worried Nenogami as she feared that she may have let her child’s destiny keep him from being a child. This drove Neno to seek out answers from Kuragari so she went to his home in old Suna on the way to the temple one day. Once there she found the man’s door ajar and decided to pop in to see if everything was alright.
Nenogami spoke, but there was no response. She had decided to leave when Kuragari himself showed up in front of her. The trained Kunoichi immediately saw the other shadow of a person hiding in the next room. Behind Kuragari Neno saw the door but the man wouldn’t let her pass, insisting that she stop to chat. Neno felt uneasy and she insisted that she wanted to leave. Kuragari chuckled and explained that she wouldn’t be leaving. From the other room not one but three men appeared geared up to fight. Nenogami was a strong shinobi in her time but she was never dumb, and being out of practice meant that there was no way she could win this fight and it was less likely she’d get away. She had to try anyway, but as she attempted to flee one of the men grabbed her as the others moved in to help him.
Kuragari walked up to the scene calmly and began speaking, telling Neno that he needed something from her. He pulled out a Kunai just as Neno’s eyes started to glow, and in one hand she begins to form a seal but before she can finish casting her jutsu Kuragari used the Kunai to cut her throat. The light in her eyes died as she drifted from the world. The men lifted her body and Kuragari placed a bottle under the fow of blood to catch all that he could get and put the bottle in a safe place. Then he ordered the men to bring her body to the Tadashii temple and leave it there while he cleaned up. The three did as instructed, moving in the shadows and dropped off her body in a cloth bag stained with Neno’s blood.
Tas showed up to the temple that afternoon with Kuragari. Kuragari always insisted on walking with the boy through the ruins as it was a dangerous place for anyone. As they approached the temple entrance, a door which Kuragari was not allowed to pass, they saw a crowd gathered muttering to each other with looks of despair on their faces. The Tadashii in the group covered their mouths and looked away as they saw Tas approaching. The group opened up for him and Kuragari and they stepped through to find Tas’ grandfather with Jin standing over the body of Nenogami. The two of them looked at Tas as he approached and then like the rest they looked away. The two of them were used to seeing death, and although it hurt they couldn’t imagine what their boy was about to go through.
Tas approached the body hastily as it finally sunk in what was happening. He examined the body and saw where she had been held down, and it didn’t surprise him any that it took a group to take her down. He never saw his mother active as a shinobi but they would spar when he was younger and he knew all the stories about his mom from when she was younger as well. After Tas was born she had retired to focus on his development as well as the development of the Tadashii. She grew weak and as his world came crashing down around him Tas believed that it was all his fault. The leader of the Tadashii being murdered brought about a whole other slew of questions but none of them crossed his mind. Instead, when Tas couldn’t hold it in any longer he let out a loud yell as his green eye began to glow and burn brightly. Then something new happened, and Kuragari watched gleefully as he saw this; Tasogare’s red eye began to glow as well and burst into flames.
Jin began to try comforting the boy but his anger was taking over. Kuragari placed his hand on Tas’ back pretending to be trying to help but through Tas’ robe Kuragari was able to alter the seal on his back. The Faita seal, which has been a mostly effective means of containing the dark side of the gods’ power in the Faita family, was broken ever so slightly. In Tas’ moment of weakness it became easy for his teacher, a master of seals, to open the gate just enough to let the dark thoughts invade his mind. No body noticed what Kuragari did but as soon as he did it Tas threw a fist around and threw the grown man through the air. When he did the green flame subsided and all that remained was hatred on Tas’ face. The members of the Tadashii who were already scared of the boy retreated a few steps away and those who weren’t afraid of him gave thought to doing the same. Tas saw the looks on their faces and a rush of guilt over took him, clearing his eye of the red flame and causing him to run away scared.
The wolf Tasogare ran after him but it was Kuragari who found the boy first. He convinced the still young shinobi that there was still hope, and admitted that he was actually training him for this all along. He says he knew his student had a much larger potential that he ever had and was breeding him to learn his secret technique. Kuragari had taught him how to live with the dark and the light, and now he wanted to teach him how to walk the line between life and death, taking his command of the physical and spiritual world to a new level. Tas was promised that he could bring his mother back to life someday, and with that promise he agreed to do whatever it took to bring his mom back to life. Kuragari’s grin showed have shown his true intentions but Tas was too caught up in his mother’s death to notice.
Tas left and returned to the Tadashii, both to apologize and to move the body somewhere it could be preserved. Kuragari stayed behind and met with Tas’ grandfather who had been listening to the whole conversation. He moved the sands to speak but Kuragari already knew what was going to be said. He admits that his intentions are not pure but despite his many lies the young Tas would be far better off with his help. Tasogare disagrees and threatens the man which just makes Kuragari laugh. He leaps at the large wolf and lands a direct hit on his side and with a flash of chakra Kuragari implanted a seal on Tasogare’s skin, beneath the fur, that blocked what was left of Tasogare’s human side. The wolf man was now just an obedient and loving wolf pet to the Tadashii.
Over the next couple of years Kuragari became even closer to Tas. The wolfman’s condition went unnoticed for some time and then when he was found ‘licking himself’ they began to believe that Tasogare’s curse had finally robbed him of his thought. Kuragari was invited to the Tadashii under Tas’ rule and he became the sage’s right hand man. He had been bred from birth to take over upon reaching the appropriate age but despite being too young Tas strong-armed his way in early. He continued to train under Kuragari in the dark arts. As he learned more and more his seal began to crack more and more and the dark energy infected his chakra, giving him access to a different pool of energy that could be used to make his jutsu more powerful at the expense of losing some of his own morality.
It was late one day when Kuragari approached Tas to tell him that it was time to bring his mother back. This brings us to the most recent events in Tas’ life, which brought him to his mother’s body which was wrapped up and placed near the door to the old temple. The power of the gods surged through the doors and brought life to one side of the entrance tunnel and death to the other. Neno’s body lay on a bed made of flowers that grew from the sands, and though years had passed her body wasn’t decayed in the slightest. Kuragari and Tas prepared the body for reconstitution and then Kuragari stepped back to allow Tas to work. His heart almost beat out of his chest as he sat on his knees next to his mother. A series of hands seals casts shadows on Neno’s body and these hand seals are ones Tas has performed countless times in tests he conducted with Kuragari.
Under the cover of night the two of them would sneak into areas where they could sense a ton of death, something that’s pretty common in the ruins of old suna, and Tas would practice summoning the dead and releasing them for hours. Each time the corpse, or corpses, would rise from the sands to do his bidding and then return to their graves. They were all shambling messes but Kuragari continues to feed lies into the apprentices head, telling him that it was because they weren’t preserved by the power of the goddess. He assured Tas that Nenogami would return alive and well because her body and her brain were in perfect condition and the two of them had a strong bond as mother and son. Then when it came time to do the deed Tas managed to raise Nenogami’s body from the dead but alas she became just another shambling corpse. Her body rose from the ground and awaited instruction from her master but she couldn’t speak or act on her own. Tas releases the jutsu immediately and becomes sick to his stomach for what he had done to his mother’s corpse.
This unexpected outcome infuriated Tas and he turned to confront Kuragari who had no words to give. He retains the idea that it should have worked but shares his worries that it might be worse than he feared. He tells Tas that he didn’t want to push him too far into this world, only far enough to bring his mother back, but it would appear that they needed more than just a resurrection. He tells Tas that if he wants to bring his mother back he’ll have to learn a different technique that will only further taint his soul. Tas slams the ground and commands Kuragari to tell him what he needs to do. The man turns away to smile to himself, pleased with how well his plan is shaping out and how easy it was to trick the boy. Kuragari returns his full attention to the matter at hand and explains to him that he’ll need to learn to take souls from the living.
Kuragari takes Tas to his home and inside he reveals the blood of Nenogami that he’s had stored this whole time. More lies convince Tasogare that he needs to abduct specific souls for him and once they’re all collected he can mix them with the blood, that Kuragari says was taken from a dying man as his soul left the body, and this will give him the power to recreate Nenogami’s lost soul. Tas looks inward to attempt and move on but the guilt catches him and the dark thoughts return and tell Tas to keep going. The voices tell him that he’s already gone so far and ask what the point in quitting would be. Tasogare grits his teeth and falls to his knees at Kuragari’s feet and after pounding the floor a few times with a now bloody fist he looks up at Kuragari with determination.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back, master.”
[[WC:2112]]
I’m sure I’ve got something somewhere or I'll just go with a new character instead.
