The Hidden One [Private | Part 1]

[Honnou]

Hah… there wasn’t much to do this late afternoon, despite the village lit up with folks dashing around from here and there. Hon found himself on the side of a telecommunication tower where he could sightsee all of Kumo from one place, enjoying his ice cake with a relaxed look on his face. This was relieving, to say the least; he had just been to Sileo and got a life-long lesson from Aoi about where his limits were - and also how to push them higher through effort. Not only that, but he also met the Vice-Commander… and that led him to swipe his view across his chest as he pulled his blouse to look at the green scales. Those were directly implanted to him as a sort of healing bandage… they would fall off after a week or two.

Yet, as newly installed into the masked ones, Hon wasn’t just here for sightseeing his own village. He found a letter in his locker back at Sileo, and it was obviously from another ANBU given the conditions. Now, who had the interest in him was beyond the Hyuuga brat, but someone had informed him about a certain event that would per quote ‘pull you towards a deeper layer of shadows’. The boy had only a brief minute or so to analyze the meaning of said words - who was the letter from wasn’t as interesting as what the writer’s thoughts and wishes for Hon were. A deeper layer… a deeper layer of shadows could reference the very organization, the ANBU, but it could also be a teaser for something deeper below… but that didn’t make much sense in Hon’s realistic sphere.

He found himself at the mentioned place in the letter - the arcade. His mask was probably the only thing that called him out for being an ANBU, so he had stuffed that into his backpack as he looked around the sprite-drowning whirlpool of boxes filled with a bunch of dots and squares that made up ‘games’. The weirdo of a writer stated that Hon should be here at 5 o’clock… and feeling rather sure about himself and his safety given his constant 360 degree vision, the blue-eyed Hyuuga began enjoying a game of BoxBoy.

What was about to happen was beyond his curious mind… he would have to take things in as they came, naturally and without exaggerating expectations. That seemed to be the best thing to do now…

 

[Eishi]

“Oh baby, an arcade? I haven’t been to one of these in a minute,” I chuckled as I did the whole ninja thing of sneaking up on people.

“You weren’t at your place, fuckboi so you had to come and find you,” I mock scoffed as I continued on,

“Now, what was it ya wanna show me?” I said with a toothy grin as I rested my arm over Hon’s shoulder as he was at one of the arcade cabinets. It was fairly clear I had been drinking that night, I’m sure, but I was in a good mood and I was a sucker for surprises. While I was waiting for him to finish his game, I saw one of those old punching machines you never get to see in any shinobi village because they break everytime some dickhead ninja went and overdid it. I’m not going to lie, I stared at it for a hard moment trying to decide if I wanted to be that dickhead tonight, but decided against it as I went for one of the claw games. I only put a couple dollar into the slot, but proceeded to win every single try I had bought. It would seem that the claw had a touch stronger grip than it should’ve, curious that.

By this point, I’m sure Hon had said something, but I was focusing. I wanted that fucking panda in the back corner, damn it. It had a funny look about it that made me interested enough to sink in enough for ten attempts to get at it. Around that time, Akane finally showed up. She was still reading her damn smut, but seemed to take in the new sight of the arcade. She knew what this place was from some memory or the next I'm sure, but even I could tell she was slightly interested.

“This place is pretty cool,” she admitted before going back to her book. I guess that was as far as her level of interest was going to get. Smh. I was probably three tries away from this damn plushie, anyway.

 

[Honnou]

Uha… despite clearly intoxicated due to his voice, Eishi still pulled a quick one in approaching the Hyuuga. Having an arm around his shoulder, Hon could clearly smell the mugs being emptied by Eishi right now. “You’re spilling words, spearow,” he replied in return with a raw chuckle, “Oh yeah, I got this letter…” His eyes swiftly turning around briefly, Hon wanted to make sure that he could relay whatever he wanted to say in secret - who knew, for all he knew, somebody could be ready to bring havoc, chaos, blood or mischief by the revelation of his words. Whilst defeating several foes on BoxBoy, Hon would take a deep breath and explain things: “I think that somebody’s trying to get to me…”

But Eishi was nowhere to be found- oh wait, nevermind, he had just moved to the claw game. He could at the very least listen to the poor boy! Upon approaching him, Hon noticed how he was deeply concentrated in the game as his words kinda just passed by: “Uh… well, I have evidence that somebody’s getting up on me nowadays… like, I think the person is trying to set me up for something.” He would take out the piece of paper, but given the lack of name on the letter, Hon was left powerless in terms of investigation.

He suddenly spotted another taller lady approach them and even comment the place with a rather ‘meh’ attitude. Who was she? Hon had never seen her before. “… Is she your sister?” he discreetly asked the occupied spear lad.

The arcade was very lively around these hours. Not only bratty shinobis like those two, but civilians and their children visited the place on occasion. If someone with a specific intention tied to Hon’s case would be to enter, then it would be rather difficult to pinpoint that person from the rest.

“Also, where the heck is your spear? Did you trade it off for a woman?”

 

[Eishi]

"Yea, pretty much," I responded to Hon as I finally got the plushie of the small cartoony panda and promptly threw it into my bag. I tossed the other nine gimmicky toys into a sea of kids and watched them fight over the stuffed animals as I continuing on speaking,

"I know we haven't seen each other in a minute, but I'd have thought you'd have heard from someone mutual that I'm a dad, now," I said before feeling something hit the back of my head, hard. I didn't even know how to react to this unforeseen sneak attack, but as I looked down to see that damned smut book lying on the floor, and Akane giving me the 'did I do that' look as she proceeded to answer for me, I nearly lost it.

"I'm Akane, the boy's weapon spirit," she said cheerfully enough as she offered her hand and a friendly enough smile to Hon before turning towards me.

"But I think it's more accurate to say, I'm the boy's maid," she commented rather derisively as she stared me down. I didn't flinch as I looked her in the eye, but unlike her, I had to blink at some point. I was beginning to regret teaching her that form of intimidation, that's for sure. She seems to like to use it a whole lot on me and by god was it effective. I bent down to pick up the book, but it floated away back into Akane's hand as if she didn't want me to even dirty up her smut. Bah, fuck her.

"What's the letter say, Raikage? I assume you called me over because I have a connection or two with Kumo's underbelly? Or was it because you missed my sardonic humor?" I chuckled trying to recovering my pride as I took a seat on one of the arcade cabinets and gave Hon my full attention.

 

[Honnou]

Uh… he was a dad? Ah, nevermind, the back hit made it more clear as the lady explained; she stated to be Eishi’s weapon spirit… so, uh, apparently the spear had… somehow… become a woman? Who would’ve guessed that.

The spear was just as rocky in heart and spirit as Eishi himself… perhaps to a higher degree. And as the spear boy finally turned his attention to Hon, the Hyuuga could finally explain. He would show the paper to the two of them whilst speaking: “I got this letter hanging around when I was about to leave my home earlier… ah, this is just- this stupid letter doesn’t even compare to anything that relates to ‘message’ - who’s pulling this prank on me?!”

He was rather impatient with the content of the message. It was really written by some amateur - even the handwriting revealed that… but was that intended? If he found it in his locker back at Sileo, then it could only be from another ANBU member. But why him? Who had something to talk with a teen about - especially an assumingly experienced ANBU given how new Hon was in their ranks?

Was this a test? Were they simply playing with him? He needed answers, and his impatience demanded them now.

“Well, shits and giggles aside, it’s a poor attempt of a joke-“ he was sighing out, but a tall male had approached the boys and the spear lady. Given his suit and badge as well as his jet-black glasses, he must’ve been working in the arcade. However, he turned and began approaching the countless kids fighting over the toys that Eishi threw out for them - they had begun to draw fists, and they were annoying the other guests.

The tall worker suddenly retreated to Hon and Eishi, seemingly aware of the spear boy’s doing. After eyeing them both with an emotionless expression, one that was deprived from spirit, he asked: “Causing such a havoc is bad for our business. Please, you’ll have to follow me and explain your doings.” He would then turn sharply and approach a door back in the staff area without even looking back - at first, it woke more questions than answers, and Hon- dear Hon, had he gotten in trouble again because of someone else?! Man, Eishi and Ikko were two sides of the same coin after all, weren’t they?

… Or maybe…

Whilst still having his mouth open before he got to protest, Hon would look back at Eishi. “… That must be him,” he assumed, “It can’t be other than him.” The Hyuuga boy couldn’t let his curiosity waver and approached the staff room, waving for Eishi to follow him. If Hon was in trouble, then it was mostly Eishi’s fault anyways, so he had to follow with him… or else Hon would throw a tantrum…

If this was the guy from Sileo, then Hon had a feeling that he'd have to trust him. He would be his superior if true, and nothing really triggered his danger alert. Yet the very fact that Hon felt like that put his guards up for trouble as he was always quite paranoid in some sense...

 

[Eishi]

I was going to say something, but I knew the man couldn't actually be dumb enough to think anyone would listen to him. Hon seemed to back up that thought as he told me the two of us should follow along like little sheep to the slaughter. Obviously, Hon wanted to meet this dude if he thought someone was targetting him and this guy had some info. It made a whole lot more sense if this was the reason he had wanted me to come along. Hon needed some backup and I was mean enough, if not rough enough, to get places I wasn't supposed to. I wasn't going to say anything unnecessary until I got a better grasp of the situation. At this point, it was Hon's show to run.

"Akane, watch the door. I don't feel like talking to no one else," I stated, plain as day for all to hear as I followed after the mystery man and the Raikage himself. If I was going to play security, might as well treat it seriously. Though this had best lead to some kind of money, that's for sure. It was going to cost Hon a pretty penny otherwise. I wasn't cheap when it came to the private sector. I'm sure with the friends discount, he could afford to eat in about two months.

As the two of us entered the back room, a desk with little more than two chairs and a stack of papers were what greeted us. The man was already seated as I tried reading some of the papers despite them being upside down. After a few seconds, I concluded they all seemed inconsequential as the man motioned for one of us to take a seat before he began to speak. I waited for Hon to take it, I wasn't interested in sitting at the moment.

"You were supposed to come alone, but it doesn't really matter," the man said in an incredibly neutral tone almost boarding on boredom if I could get a read on him. Something about this didn't seem right, but so far I haven't seen anything off. Regardless, this was Hon's problem, I just needed to keep him alive if his life was actually being targeted.

 

[Honnou]

At this point, literally anything could happen. Hell, the worker could turn out to be an alien and suck both Eishi and himself up into his spaceship and take off without leaving a single trace behind. He could be Kaji behind a Henge- no, not really, unless if the Commander had the ability to mold his chakra like that. Speaking about his chakra… Honnou took a good time in observing its uneven flows and directions. Was he…

The man in question took a quick gaze towards the door as if he wanted to make sure that nobody else were making their way in for now. “*cough*… You, there,” he would then address the spike-haired boy, “A deeper layer… does it ring any bells?” Yes, it rang bells and rose red flags; that was a phrase from Hon’s paper. It was clear that this guy was the one who- wait a goddamn second, something didn’t add up here.

“… O-Oh, yes, it does,” Hon replied a little flustered. How come? Was this guy, truly, an ANBU? He must’ve been one… but Hon didn’t recognize him at all. Not the slightest. “I sent you the message previously… rather, it’s an invitation,” the neutral worker spoke to the growing youth of Mednin and ANBU - even though that Hon assumed that Eishi had not the slightest idea about all of this. “An invitation?” Hon asked out curiously. Of what kind? What was this guy’s intention? Did he try and convert Hon to join another branch? In fact, this rose more red flags than his very knowledge about the place in Sileo… wait…

Taking a deep breath in, Honnou decided to cut the curious crap and say: “Hey… I’m not planning on going to any birthday parties. I’m not a party person.” His words were rather vague in context, but Hon’s eyes began lighting up briefly, “Who are you, even…?” His curiosity turned back like a boomerang, in the end.

The worker kept a close eye on Eishi, especially, as he explained: ”As your assumptions may have led you, this invitation of mine is from Inzen. He expects to meet you in person soon… and answer all your questions by then…” A moment of silence passed by, and just as Honnou yet felt that his curiosity was left unsated, the guy freaking falls to the ground with a loud bam! Unconscious! Instantly leaving the Hyuuga speechless and angered.

He would quickly come to the worker’s aid as footsteps were approaching them from the other side of the door. The guy was knocked out, somehow, but… there was so little time to react, so little time to do things…

 

[Eishi]

"Sounds like something fun is going on outside," I smiled as I took a turn towards the door, getting some unseen info from the connection to my weapon who should've been waiting right outside the door before I relayed it to Hon.

"A handfull of thugs, all decently equipped. I'll go deal with them easily enough," I recounted as I took out my metal baton from beneath my cloak and went to open the door that lead back to the arcade before looking over at Hon,

"You best not find a way to die back here while I'm gone or I'll be pissed," I finished off before leaving the Raikage to go have some fun. What awaited me were about six men, all having a military look about them that I hadn't expected. They were unmarked from what I saw so either mercenaries or something akin to that. Regardless, they weren't the thugs Akane had visualized to me just moments ago. I didn't let that stop me from staring them down, waiting for them to say something, but it seems they were doing the same. The tension hung in the air like stale shit until they finally addressed me.

"Mr. Hyuuga we were told to pick you up at this location, if you'll come with us, we will escort you to our master," One man finally spoke up as he looked towards me. He looked to be the leader if his denouement was any indication. I just stared back at the man for a moment, thinking over what I was going to do. Once I was decided, I simply nodded my head and began to follow along.

"Lead the way," I told the man, giving Akane a hidden signal as she continued to read her book in another part of the arcade. She knew what to do and she could find me from anywhere. Once the men lead me to a carriage, I got in promptly before the man who spoke climbed in with me, cementing that he was their leader. I was going to see where this rabbit hole lead, Hon was going to have to figure his shit out and follow along when he was done in the back. Akane would be waiting for him once he came out anyway, so I wasn't even slightly worried.

 

[Honnou]

Yeah, something fun… he hoped that the ‘fun’ didn’t involve any contracts on Hon’s head, though. Besides, how would that be possible? Also, how would that make sense? Was this guy trying to se up Hon, anyway?! That meant that Hon fell right in the trap - a guy who, presumably, wanted Hon dead used a decoy, himself, as bait; as soon as whatever type of authority was out there, whether it be his friends or the Main Branch shinobis themselves, showed themselves, they would find 1. an apparently assaulted victim and 2. a guilty scapegoat in form of the only two guys who were with the knocked out person in that room as well as alibis in the entire arcade. Just blast it all…!

“Right back at ya… wait-“ Hon replied as Eishi decided to face the approaching figures outside of the door himself. He wasn’t going to unfold havoc on… well, Hon knew not who had approached them now, so perhaps there was a reasonable explanation. Or maybe not… it could also all be pure impulse. Checking the worker’s pulse, Hon was more and more convinced that some sort of Genjutsu was involved in his odd behavior and mundane voice earlier. It was easy to figure a strong Genjutsu thrown on a person mid-combat, but subtler Genjutsu that altered small fractions of people’s norms and ways of thinking, especially in out-of-combat occasions, were more difficult to realize before it was too late. Someone had definitely set them up… it was why Hon hurried out of the room a while after Eishi had shown no signs of returning.

He only met Akane, Eishi’s maid slash weapon spirit, and no signs of Eishi… the other arcade guests had held their distance from the door, whilst the arcade itself felt emptier. Approaching his new BFWIAWS (Best Friend Who Is A Weapon Spirit), his very expression clearly stated ‘what the shit happened?’. “… Did Eishi go with them?” was Hon’s first question, genuinely not seeing Eishi in the ‘hostage’ kind of situation given the type of person that he is.

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“Forget the confusing encounter,” the leader inside the carriage along with Eishi spoke, “But Master Inzen’s reach on the guy before was getting weaker, and he really, really wanted you to meet him in person.” The squad leader himself made sure to appear as ordinary inside the carriage as possible, and that was one thing these guys were experts at; their very appearances right now, in this instance, completely changed from their sudden approach earlier. They were much more earthbound and ordinary-looking than before, almost transforming into whole different beings on sight. It was but part of their secret training back at the hideout. “There’s a lot to explain, I know… rather, I’d let the big guy talk to you about it, if that’s fine with you,” he elaborated, his face approaching Eishi’s in a monotone, cold-blooded fashion. Despite having intentions to recruit the kid, they technically just let him tag along on a forced whim. Hell, he could scream and accuse them of kidnapping him, but… this boy was a promising Chuunin among Chuunins, and Inzen knew of his secret affiliation with the ANBU. That was one thing that let them have a collar around the boy’s throat - if he disobeyed, then his secret would blow. They also had to keep him interested in their secret web, though, so it was a sort of balancing the boy’s interests and their wishes and expectations from him.

It appeared as if the carriage had driven itself into a corner between two complexes before everything turned pitch-black. Everybody’s chakras were immediately affected for a brief moment before returning to normal, and there it was… Eishi would find himself in a sort of hall, a huge one in fact. It was bright and gothic and completely empty for any details…

 

[Eishi]

At first, I thought it was rather pointless in setting up a genjutsu that was so obvious and was already prepped to dispell it, but as the seconds ticked by while I checked for a seam to hone in on I was more and more positive that this wasn't a trick of the mind. Somehow they had set up a portal somewhere in Kumo to another land. I already hated this place. There was a reason you didn't mess with these summoning jutsus so haphazardly. It was chaotic, unstable, and difficult to maintain yet this madman was using it as a fucking front gate to his home. Regardless, I kept moving forward as I kept my wits about me. I wasn't about to give away my own abilities, and who knew what info they had on Hon, and even then I'd have to be ready to fight in case whoever I was about to meet wasn't an idiot like his hired help who didn't even bother to try and verify that I was who I said I was.

I had done this whole thing on a whim, but they still took me along despite not looking a thing like Hon and only having a single arm. I had to wonder about that, but before I even noticed I was already outside of the hall and inside a giant room with a bunch of pillars and a large war table in the middle of the room. The fact that I hadn't seen the transition between the hallway and the room had not been lost on me as I tensed up. Surprisingly when I tried to look at the papers upon the table, all of it was blurred like a mosaic piece of art. It appeared this guy was a bit paranoid if I do say so myself. I sniffed at that, but it was understandable with people like me existing in this world. It was only when I got a bit closer to the table to investigate that I finally noticed the chair on the far end of the table. It was currently facing away, but I knew full well this dude was about to swivel on me like some kind of kingpin. I could feel the aura from the chair and it wasn't a pleasant one.

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"This is the spot he disappeared," I said as I looked over at Honnou. I had pretty decent at my spacial awareness, so I was like 90% sure this back alley was where Eishi had up and vanished, but from what I saw it was just a simply alleyway with nothing going on. I had to wonder about that, but it seemed Hon was already in a panic for something as I waited for him to figure it out. I don't know, I guess I was just going to read my book for now that I had gotten Hon here. It was getting to the good part, and I'm sure Eishi could handle himself, anyway.

 

[Honnou]

”… Not a single trace,” the Hyuuga dude commented upon the view. He began approaching the alleyway slowly, his blue Byakugan eyes functioning like sharp scanners that kept an eye on everything around him. If the ride had taken them here… did they take a short cut across the wall? Or was Eishi closer than they thought? It was then that it hit Hon that Genjutsu must’ve played a huge role in all of this, though faintly given by the worker back at the arcade.

… Wait… Something even worse hit him like running straight into a wall face first. If Eishi was with them… they must’ve assumed him with Hon himself- oh for the love of god, this was very bad!

“I’m sure that there’s some Genjutsu involved in this,” Hon explained to Akane, “…” Eishi went in on his own, so he must’ve planned to unravel this random mystery that those two adolescent males found themselves waved into… either that or he wanted to unwind… yeah, it was likely the first choice. “And you say that he disappeared… that’s some impressive feat that those guys pulled, given that you’re his weapon spirit.” Hon would sigh heavily and convince himself that waiting for Eishi’s return seemed like their only option. It was indicated that he wasn’t in their realm anymore - either that or he had just been transported too far away for his own weapon spirit to not feel his presence or whatever weapon spirits did.

“… Don’t you dare come out empty-handed…” he whispered with a sweat pearl trickling down his forehead.

-----------------------------

That rook sure knew how to eye someone down even from behind. As the chair faced away from him, some of the transporters from earlier simply smiled from the background and went further into the labyrinth of a hideout. This entire place was almost otherworldly, presenting you a feeling of not knowing where the hell you were on the map. It was designed to appear like that, too… to give you a feeling of being in unknown territory 24/7.

As the chair turned around to face Eishi, ever so slowly like they always did, it pulled a rather dry joke by having nobody sitting on the chair at all… it was then that a voice reached Eishi’s ears:

“So you’re the one who goes by the name Honnou Hyuuga… you look sturdy for a white swan. Perhaps you could soothe the sturdiness and present me proof of your heritage by activating your Byakugan right here and now, eh?”

Despite the clear order, the voice chuckled in its breath by the next reaction from Eishi and continued without the boy’s context in mind: “Nevermind… brown eyes, weird hair, you fit the report. However, let me be sure about this… you sure you’re up for the change in life? I know that you have some role to take care of, and not everyone’s suited for multitasking…”

The voice was surprisingly talky for a guy whose very presence was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t that he was sitting on the chair invisible, it was just… as faint as what was hiding at the corner of the eye, yet you could never catch it with your vision. It was obvious that this Honnou had something in mind since he went with the transport, but Inzen wanted a clear answer and a clear confirmation from the boy before spilling his juicy content. His next actions would merely depend on Honnou’s reply…

 

[Eishi]

I listened to him, dude was so far up his own ass it was a wonder he could see me at all. I just stopped him before he could keep going on anymore.

"Hold up, I ain't about to do some red pill, blue pill nonsense. Give me some more context here so I ain't taking a shit in the dark. Alright, bud?" I said as I scratched my neck almost as if he was an annoyance for me. I knew this type, they walked all over the weak-willed and desperate, but I was neither of those and it wasn't my blackmail he held near. I wasn't going to bother pretending to be intimidated as I asked calmly.

"Who the fuck are you and what do you want from me," I scuffed as I waited for this guy to reply.

Meanwhile, while I was dealing with this dude, I knew Akane had just shrug at what Hon had said as she turned the page of her book and spoke absently,

"Why don't you look around, I can sense summoner magic around here, so I'm still like 95% sure this is the spot," She offered as she found a nice bench to sit on while Hon did his thing. I'm sure he'd find it somewhat useful to infiltrate the portal without anyone expecting he was coming, but what did she know Akane thought to herself. After a moment's pause, she seemed to decide on something before letting her thoughts be known anyway and repeated herself. Once she turned the page of the book again, she momentarily gasping at the scandalous love scene depicted in her book and just a few moments later I had caught an image in my head through this god damn one-way weapon bond that I had not wanted to see. I just cursed silently and reminded myself to burn all of Akane's books when I got back. I twitched in disgust for a moment as I kept my stare down going with the man a couple of meters away from me.

 

[Honnou]

”If you’re not yet sure about yourself, then let me elaborate,” the hidden voice without any visible source spoke to Eishi as his critical curiosity came to play, “I’m Inzen. And what the fuck I want from you is your help to my project here… I’m working on what will revolutionize the shinobi world. Yes, big, sudden words coming from me, but how come I'm so confident?” Without any warning, the air inside the hall would get tenser with the release of chakra… but it wasn’t any nature-transformed chakra nor was it pure chakra. It was some sort of chakra, no doubt, but it felt tenser and heavier than normal. It wasn’t just the amount of it, but the very density of every atom of chakra. Inzen was getting impatient already and decided to take things into his own hand now, before the boy ended up getting too suspicious.

“This is not the ordinary chakra that you shinobi utilize. You may as well throw all your jutsus out now, because I can grant you the same times ten… how this is made, I could tell you.” Truth be told, Inzen figured that this Honnou guy would be interested in the chakra given his age, but the air felt rather intimidating. Anyway, Inzen knew that he could transform normal chakra to this type of chakra that had a greenish taint on top of the ordinary, bluish color… but he assumed that this boy wouldn’t comply. In that case, his chakra should just become Inzen’s as he released his Genjutsu through the same chakra that filled the room, turning all colors into negative.

He did it without effort, in which the space where Eishi found himself were occupied by Kinetic, Audial, Will and Visual illusions all at once. Whoever was caught under it felt the change in all those four factors at once, but there was a little more to explain. “A little taste of my reborn Genjutsu; normally, a shinobi can use four types of Genjutsu separately, but I can use all four at once with minimal chakra… and I can grant you the same type of chakra.” His voice echoed through the negative hall room, literally pressing Inzen’s will and desire into whoever heard it, “My Genjutsu even reached people inside your village… imagine, I could overthrow any government with little effort. As long as even a small Genjutsu can reach the right person, poof, there goes the next Hokage, Raikage, Daimyō… now, here’s my million dollar question.” His voice grew heavier and heavier, almost in an attempt to submit Eishi. “Are you going to accept this unrivalled power? My plans with you are delicate, I don’t wish to hurt everyone… but you’ve heard what is possible. Do you have the balls to see what comes next?”

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Summoner magic? There must’ve been a portal nearby, then; however, it was probably too faint for Honnou’s Byakugan to locate. Also, it’d probably just make him end up right in front of the enemy and spoil his element of surprise; blast it, it was still a good idea to find it. He’d begin touching things around the alley, but he didn’t find any place where his hand phased through. “… It must be locked, then,” he concluded, “Maybe if Eishi gets out again… Akane, any ideas about this summoner magic and its function?”

 

[Eishi]

"You're far too much of a comic book villain for me to ever even humor," I chuckled to myself as I flipped my outer coat behind my back and had a few of my kunai fly out as I sent them to skewer the man with a magnetic push. I had no hope they'd actually hit him if he was as bad as he said he was, but those kunai would keep harassing him as long as I was conscious and that was more than enough for now.

I kept my face neutral as the man went about trying to act impressive and begin changing the room to it's photo-negative. I didn't much care for his theatrics, but even I could tell that his words weren't false, at least in his mind they weren't, that he could do a lot of damage with them. I got pretty downright pissed, though, when I felt him try and burrow into my head and quite frankly I was insulted he would even try if he really wanted a partnership of some sort. I leaped backward to give myself some room from the spreading sea of colors all while doing a lengthy series of uninterrupted hand signs and dumping a scroll on the ground next to me. It was fairly clear what I was about to do and once I was ready, I quickly threw my left hand on the ground. A series of seals coming alive around me as I slowly dragged Akane in her spear form from the summoning circle. What the fuck was all I got through our link from Akane before going into Regalia mode as the spearhead pushed itself out and elongated by a good 15 centimeters.

"I've known a good deal of the underworld here in Kumo and you don't fit in. You're just a solo player in a tank filled with sharks and you actually expect to win? Hah!" I scoffed at him as I continued to prepare myself for what was likely to end up being a fight.

"One trump card was never going to be enough to tip the scales in your favor when so much else exists out there. Now either let me leave or I'll kill you and let myself out," I demanded, giving this dude the only out I was ever going to afford him.

Meanwhile, outside the fun house, Hon would realize that he had suddenly been ditched when Akane never responded to his question and suddenly disappeared. If he figured out how to get inside the portal or not was seemingly more and more on him as the silence of the alley went on.