Tough Love [Solo]

[Gotō Daiji]

"Hehehe...~"​

An unmistakable laugh carried out across the sand before being lost to the wind. It was hard to see far in the desert, but if one could make out the image past the distorted heat haze, they'd be able to see a big, lumbering creature in the distance. Its slow-moving footsteps could be felt from a ways off. Whatever it was seemed to have tusks...and it was unusually large. But what was even stranger was a small silhouette on top of it. Anyone who strained their eyes might be able to see the figure raising its arm...and-

...a head of rose-colored hair?

"Faster, Buta!" came a voice from atop the huge figure. Oh! And speaking of the large creature -- it was a giant Dustboar, at least eighteen feet tall and just as long. It had been the alpha in a pack of smaller (but still much larger than usual...) hogs. Together their pack had pretty much done as they pleased, bullying other dustboars and getting top pick on all the tastiest meals. They were best of the best. Cream of the crop. Kings of the castle. Then they met Keiatsu. After a brief scuffle with some of the smaller members of the pack, the king pig stepped up and challenged the rowdy youth. He charged, expecting to impale him with his mighty tusks and be rid of the pest. But when he went to deliver the final blow? He got stopped cold when the boy grabbed his ivory and halted him with his bare hands. Afterwards he glared at the beast, grinning all the while (Gaze of Enslavement). Apparently he intimidated it into submission...because the boy hopped onto its back and began to ride it like a horse! Now this would be a strange sight to most...but the person the boy was traveling with basically wrote the book on taming wild creatures. His grandpa. Sachi A. Gō. Together they continued on their way, the boy bringing his new mount with him. The other dustboars were left astounded and utterly confused. What had just happened?!

Gō and Keiatsu had been out in the desert for awhile now, the older man leading while the younger followed behind on his pig. A half hour had passed since the acquisition of this new pet. It had been a mostly silent journey, with the boy doing the talking when there was any. "Keiatsu." the elder spoke, breaking his silence. His voice caused the younger boy to perk up, his eyes widening as he waited for him to continue talking. Gō stopped walking, "Buta" following suit so as to not trample him. He slowly turned, a stern look on his face as he stared up at his grandson. "How long have you been able to do that?" An odd question. Keiatsu's arms were folded, but he brought one of his hands up to tap thoughtfully on his chin as he pondered- "Do what?" Oh boy. A vein bulged in the older man's forehead as his noggin seemed to grow several times its normal size. "STOPPING THE BOAR LIKE THAT, YOU BRAT!"The force of the man yelling ruffled the youth's hair, but other than that he seemed relatively unfazed. Once his grandfather had elaborated the boy made an 'o' shape with his mouth, signifying he understood. He crossed his arms once more as his eyes drifted upwards, doing his damnedest to remember. "For a while now, I guess." he began, nodding as it started to come back to him. "Since before home got frozen." His answer was a little less descriptive than the older man would've liked...but considering who it was he accepted it as the best possible one. But before their conversation could progress any further, they were interrupted. Tremors began to shake the sands they stood upon, growing stronger and stronger by the second. "Buta" reared up, clearly spooked by something. And both grandfather and grandson looked to the distance, detecting the same thing at the same time. The younger took note of this (for once!). He had his Sense to warn him...but how did his grandpa know where it was coming from? Did he have it too? A question left for a better time probably. Something was coming...and whatever it was?

It was BIG...

 

[Gotō Daiji]

A deafening roar shook the ground for miles around as a behemoth emerged from underneath the sands. As it rose its figure was massive...and it seemed to be getting bigger with each passing second! Once it finally pulled itself in its entirety out of the dune it was slumbering under, the party could do nothing but look up at it - Keiatsu and "Buta" both in awe. Y'know, for only having been here a short amount of time, the rose-haired youth had seen his fair share of sandworms. First were the strange modified "wyrms" in the Chaumerus Caverns, ones that were possibly engineered for use against Sunagakure by the Cabal. Then there was the Barynx,..an ancient terror that HAD to be the world's largest sandworm, brought back from beyond the grave sow destruction once more. And now this guy! Was this how people lived?! Still didn't stop him from letting out a "Woah..." as the beast loomed over the group. They were impressive creatures alright. Tough as hell to track and even tougher to kill. Their carapace gave them all the defensive capabilities they could ever need, allowing the vicious beasts to focus solely on attacking to maim and kill their prey. Normally they didn't go looking to kill humans...but these two had encroached upon its territory. What kind of sandworm would it be if it didn't defend its land?

Gō stepped forward, seemingly unfazed by the hulking creature. It must've been forty feet tall...and that was an optimistic guess! It was handily taller than "Buta" making the unusually large dustboar look small by comparison. Keiatsu moved to hop to his feet until he noticed his grandfather step out in front of the creature. A few drops of sweat traveled down the boy's face as he leaned forward atop his mount. "Gramps, watch out! These guys're tough!" What was possibly the understatement of the century. It took a dozen elite shinobi using everything in their arsenals to bring down the Barynx. Those "wyrms" he fought were pretty resilient too. He didn't suffer any damage or anything, but he pounded on them continuously with his Trigger active and all he managed to do was scare them off. Regardless, the older man stood tall, glaring upwards at his mighty foe. The tan jacket that was draped over his shoulders billowed violently as the wind picked up, though the kanji for "Evil" was still showing proudly on its back. "Keiatsu." he shouted, his gruff voice ripping his grandson's attention away from the worm and back to him. Since it had emerged it did a bit of posturing...but now it looked like it was rearing up to attack! Gō's right arm shot out to the side, his large hand slowly curling into a fist as his gaze remained locked on the sandworm. The last words his spoke before everything went down? "Pay attention."

In an instant the tanned skin on the elder's fist turned jet black, a metallic sheen glinting off of it. This caused the rose-haired boy to arch an eyebrow in confusion, but there wasn't any time for questions now. Faster than anyone could hope to react, the gigantic worm struck, it's massive head shooting towards the ground and straight towards Gō. The beast roared the entire way down, flinging spit from its gaping maw of razor-sharp teeth. And just as it was upon the elderly man? Just before it gnashed down on him with its teeth? KRRRKKKK! Gō reared back and let loose a thunderous punch to the top of the creature's head, forcibly shutting its mouth and putting a large fist-shaped dent there. Armored plates atop the beast's cranium shattered completely under the might of the blow, sending broken pieces of carapace flinging every which way. But It didn't just stop, the momentum it gained beforehand being carried through as the sandworm veered off course and flopped into the sand, shaking the ground as it fell. The beast didn't even get a chance to shriek in pain...instead there was just silence. Keiatsu and "Buta" watched the whole thing happen, their jaws hanging wide open from pure shock. His grandpa had just knocked out a massive sandworm...with one punch! "Amazed" didn't even begin to cut it. "What was that?!" Keiatsu shouted, visibly stunned. His grandpa stood back up to his full height and slowly turned around to face him, his fist still clenched tightly. He made sure the boy was able to see his hand as the jet black hue started to fade from it, returning his fist to its normal color, and apparently its normal consistency. "A secret technique..." he replied, that family grin taking hold on the elderly man's face as he let his arm fall back down to his side. "Come! We have a lot of training to do." And with that? He turned and kept right on walking, like nothing happened. The thought of his grandpa's "training" didn't exactly make him jump for joy...but if it made him even half as strong as that it'd be worth it! Maybe he'd finally be powerful enough to return to Water Country? It was the best option he had for now...so it was worth a shot! Keiatsu shook his head, doing his best to rid himself of his stupefaction as he jabbed "Buta" in the sides with his heels. "Yosh!" he shouted, his mount yelping while it scrambled to catch up to the older man. This desert trek suddenly got a lot more exciting!

 

[Gotō Daiji]

A few more hours of wandering through the sands had begun to take their toll on the group. Well...Keiatsu and Buta at least. The newly domesticated dustboar seemed to adapt to its tamer's personality rather quickly, as they were both currently panting like dogs. It was hot! Not to mention it had been awhile since he'd eaten last. The rose-haired boy had since hunched over atop his mount, a distressed look on his face all the while. "Gramps..." he began, the elderly man continuing to trudge on even as his grandson spoke to him. "Where are we going?" it was a fair question. A few days before they'd set out, Gō had mysteriously disappeared, leaving his grandson with only the promise of "training" in the coming days. He didn't explain anything...but the boy knew from experience that this wasn't going to be a painless endeavor. Whenever he underwent this kind of thing with either his grandfather or Yama, it always ended with him having a few more lumps on his head than when he started...

"I didn't tell you?" the elderly man's voice rang out as he kept right on walking. After a few moments the man stopped, halting the convoy entirely. Gō slowly turned around, dramatic as can be and- "Ooops!" ...yeah. That actually sounds about right. A loud "Hahahahaha!" could be heard for what seemed like miles around as the elder rosehead burst out in laughter. Keiatsu simply watched, a sweatdrop forming on the back of his head. This is the kind of stuff he did to people all the time...he was finally getting a taste of his own medicine! It took awhile, but eventually his grandfather resumed walking, still letting out the occasional laugh as he moved. Before long the group came to a particularly large dune, which Gō took in stride, beginning the long ascent towards the top. "We're going here..." he called back to his grandson, who had to prod Buta with his heels to get him to start walking up the steep slope. A few minutes of walking and all three of them were at the top, overlooking another long, flat stretch of sand. But...there was something breaking up the horizon. It was kind of hard to see from this far away, but if they squinted hard enough they'd be able to make out the image.

"Home." And a home it was! The hut-like structure wasn't particularly big or anything, but it was surprisingly well-crafted. The architecture wasn't perfect...but it was pretty damn good. A thin plume of smoke rose out of what appeared to be a chimney, and right behind the house was a desert oasis, big enough to swim in if one were so inclined. Other features included a small firepit outside, a smaller structure attached to the side that looked to be some sort of guest house, and a currently empty wooden stable. Keiatsu perked up at the sight, his face tinged with a tiny bit of amazement. "You live here, Gramps?" Despite being his grandson, the youth had never actually been to his grandfather's home. Or Wind Country, for that matter (up until a little while ago). It was always Gō who came to visit him and Yama in Water Country, not the other way around. "Mhm." the older Sachi vocalized, stroking his graying beard as he stared at his homestead in the distance. It had taken many tries and a LOT of hard work to construct his cozy little house. Especially considering it was built entirely by hand. "Have for a long time, now." And with that? He began his trek down the other side of the massive dune, heading off in the direction of the hut. Keiatsu followed suit atop Buta, the giant dustboar slowly and carefully mimicking the older man's movements to descend safely down the sand. It wouldn't be long now before they reached their destination...and when they did? Keiatsu was in for quite the experience...

[mft]

 

[Gotō Daiji]

</I>

A few hours later...​

".................................."​

Night had fallen upon the desert. Both of the Sachi men had since moved inside, and were now seated at either side of a small table in the center of the living area. A teapot was situated between the two, with two cups in front of both of them. The elder of the duo had just finished explaining a very important matter to his grandson...who was now staring off into space with a hand on his chin. Probably just processing everything. Yeah. That was it. "So..." the boy spoke, breaking the long silence as his eyes refocused, settling on his grandfather across the table from him. "You can Sense things too?" Gō's response came in the form of a heavy sigh as he shut his eyes tight and shook his head. Talking to Keiatsu was like talking to a brick wall...except brick walls were better listeners! "Yes." came his reply finally. He wasn't wrong...there was just a lot more that went on in his lecture than that. Gō gripped his teacup in his large hand, bringing the hot beverage before his lips. "And tame animals, like you did with the dustboar." Keiatsu's eyes were as wide as ever. This was incredible! Until his grandfather mentioned it, he never even gave the fact that he could force wildlife into submission with only a glare a second thought! The graying rosehead explained that this was because he was doing it unconsciously. Apparently, it ran in the family. Once he had finished sipping his tea, the older Sachi placed the cup back down on the table, opening his eyes and locking gazes with his grandson. "Yama can do both of these things as well." At this, the boy's eyes drifted upwards. Come to think of it...he had been the target of his uncle's imposition in the past! Right before he left a frozen Kirigakure, Yama confronted him in the Caverns, demonstrating his supreme strength of will. The flaring of his beastlike chakra shook the very earth they stood on for miles around. And the pressure nearly brought the young shinobi to his knees. It had always been impressive...but now it made sense! He relayed the story to his grandfather, who simply nodded and told him that what he witnessed was in fact the same thing.

But there was still something that was eating at the boy. "Hey, Gramps...what about that black thing from earlier?" He formed a fist, throwing a light jab at the air to mimic his grandfather's punch from earlier. "You kicked that worm's ass with one hit!" They truly were a family full of monsters. If he could manage such a feat in his old age...just imagine how strong he'd been in his prime! Gō couldn't help but let a smirk grace his face as his grandson asked another question. "What was that?" An enormous hand reached across the table, gripping the handle of the teapot as the elder refilled his cup. The inquiry was simple in intention perhaps...but it was harder to answer than the boy realized. "A technique...." he spoke, his eyes focused on the dark liquid as it swirled around in its cup from being poured. It was better he hear it here, from him. The other option was-...well, he didn't want to think about it. "...called Ō-Yoroi." Y'know, it was sort of amazing. Here was his grandson...Keiatsu...paying attention for once! Apparently the only things that could capture the youth's attention were food, and anything that had to do with him getting stronger. "That 'Sense' we have is named Ō-Dōsatsu. While what you used to tame Buta is a part of a skill called Ō-Kyōhaku." There was more to it than just taming wildlife. "Once you train it enough, you can use Ō-Kyōhaku on people. If you get <I>really good at it...you can flex your chakra over a large area, like Yama did." 'Taming' people didn't sound too fun to Keiatsu...but being able to stop someone without punching them might be handy. 'Might' being the operative word there (because Kami knows fights were fun!). What appealed to him more was being able to use his chakra like Yama did. Intimidating a room full of people without touching them? That sounded hilarious!

"Most people with the initial 'A.' have both Ō-Dōsatsu and Ō-Kyōhaku." There were exceptions of course...but these two were by far the most common of the "clan" abilities. The third on the other hand? "Ō-Yoroi, however, is extremely rare." This caused the younger of the Sachi men to raise an eyebrow. "I know only two people who have ever shown it." Only two?! If his grandfather's stories were true, he'd been all over the world and seen all sorts of people. It had to be special if he had only seen two people use it. Keiatsu nodded at this, figuring he knew who they were. "So only you and Yama can use it?" Yama could do the others...so it stood to reason he was able to- "No." Gō's grin had faded entirely...and his expression had become severe. Just then, the sound of dishware rattling caught the boy's attention. He glanced down to notice that the tea kettle and both cups were trembling on the table top. And now that he thought about it...the whole house was trembling! A look at his grandfather gave all the explanation that was needed. A thin layer of chakra was visible around the elder Sachi, his eyes nearly blank with what seemed like rage. Keiatsu had never seen his grandpa like this before. He was just barely containing himself! His grandson just stared, a bead of sweat dripping down the side of his face at the display of such presence. His grandpa's chakra was even stronger than Yama's. "The other is..." his words trailed off as the tremors grew bigger. This magnitude of shaking made that sandworm's quakes from earlier seem like nothing! If it kept going at this rate the hut was sure to crumble around him. But just as it seemed to reach the point of no return...just as a nearby wall cracked from the immense pressure-

"Nevermind." All tension in the air ceased as Gō's chakra receded into his body. The tremors stopped completely, and a grin soon returned to the hermit's face. "Hahahaha!" Keiatsu could do nothing but stare at his grandfather, still astonished as a nervous look graced his face. He'd seen his grandpa mad plenty of times...usually at him for neglecting his "training". But never in his life had he seen him like that. Whoever it was must've done something really bad to piss his grandfather off that much...but luckily, Keiatsu was fine with letting sleeping dogs lie. He had a short attention span, see. "Anyway, tomorrow we start your training." This caused another sweatdrop to form on the back of the young wanderer's head. "Training" with his grandpa was never fun...but if he could do something to even half the effect of what he just witnessed, then it'd all be worth it! Didn't mean he had to be excited about it though. "Get plenty of rest...because you're not leaving until you master both Ō-Dōsatsu and Ō-Kyōhaku!" Mastery was a bit of a stretch...but Gō knew that! He set the bar high so that even if the boy came close it would be satisfactory. And with that? The elder Sachi finished his tea and got up from the table, retiring to his bedroom shortly after. Guess Keiatsu was sleeping on the floor..but comfort really should be the least of his worries right now. These next coming days were undoubtedly going to be tough...

...and painful.

[Topic Left/Ended]