What's better than 20/20? [Req. Kitsune]

[Kagami Miro]

What drives one to seek power? For self defense? To test their own mettle? To protect what one thinks is true? The answer lied in the emotions of the beholder. Seeking power to protect one's beliefs drove many to the edge of insanity. Others… got them a whole new outlook on life, literally.

In a brown suitcase a jar was sealed tightly away inside it. It rested carefully on its side to make sure the objects inside did not break or damage during delivery. Within a firm grasp of her hand Mirō squeezed the handle at the thought of the future ahead of her. The walk to the hospital was a long one and even longer because Mirō had never been there. With no interest in the medical profession aside from basic first aid she left that branch to the know-it-alls. “You just don’t like hospitals.” Naibu chimed into her head. “I don’t like the smell. It smells too clean.” Lying to herself a frown formed in disgust. Naibu had keen senses, easily reading Mirō's inner emotions. Footsteps stopped right at the doorway to the hospital. "Bleh! Yeah this is it... and I'm not even inside yet..." The awful scent messed with her nose. Combing over the idea to wear her Anbu Mask within the facility.

An unpleasant shiver ran down her spine. “This place used to be an old asylum. I’ve had my fair share of exorcisms already…” Gold hues looked around the massive insides of the hospital. Gazing at the bustle of doctors and patients moving up and down the halls. Turning to her right a small service desk with a nurse could be found. With no one in line Mirō walked right up to her. “H-hello. I’m Mirō Kagami. I’ve been told by the Raikage to meet her here for a procedure. Can you contact her?” With a friendly smile the nurse nodded, relaying her message through a phone in hopes to call the Raikage.

WC:327
[Topic Entered]

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

Speak of the devil, and it shall appear. Or, in this case, speak of the Raikage and she’ll appear. As had been scheduled previously, Miro was supposed to meet the Raikage at the hospital, a place with which she was intimately familiar, and knew like the back of her own hand. ”You’re right on time, Miro-chan.” she said as she stepped out from an adjacent room, before the nurse could properly relay any kind of message. ”So, I take it from your request you’ve decided to have the eye surgery, yes?” she asked, mostly for confirmation. Performing surgery was one of Kitsunes specialities, and the type in question was one she was pretty familiar with.

It had been a fair share of years ago, but she had the very same procedure performed on her own eyes by the then Medical Sennin, Isaki Kushin. Kushin of course had been gone for ages, replaced by several others as Sennin, including herself at one occasion. Now the position was Saki-kun’s, and she still figured it was the right choice to make. Of course, despite being Raikage, Kitsune was a mednin at heart, when her skills were required, she’d happily oblige. More so for a familiar face she’d once given a genin exam.

”Please, follow me.” she said, smiling and gesturing towards the hallway to the left, leading towards a consultation room ”First, I’ll have to perform a psych eval on you, to make sure you won’t go bananas with power after obtaining it. Standard procedure, I’m afraid.” she explained as they walked, also assuring Miro that it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, and considering the amount of power an Uchiha could gain from a new set of Sharingan eyeballs, such as the power to literally slip into another dimension, it was a necessary precaution really.

[MFT; WC: 303]

 

[Kagami Miro]

Out from behind closed doors came her Sensei. That notorious red hair was a give away before she even spoke her name. “Yes Sensei. But something isn’t sitting right with me.” A few steps behind her fingers arose to slide rebellious strands of black hair behind her ear. An evaluation? A test to see if Mirō would stay loyal to Kumogakure even after obtaining great power.

Mirō had researched the properties of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan at the village library. There wasn’t much set in stone. Gaining full knowledge of EMS would have to be based on someone who possessed such a powerful kinjutsu. A trickle down effect of information from the Raikage to the common folk made it easier to pinpoint who had it. Our own Raikage, a medical genius.

Walking into an open room with a medical table on one side of the room and a few chairs and a desk adjacent, Mirō closed the door behind her. “Sensei. It’s embarrassing to say this…” Pausing momentarily to find the correct wording. “How bad will this hurt? Driving a needle into my eye doesn’t sit soundly with me.” Anxiously rubbing the back of her head with her free hand her eyes widened from a sudden surprise. Holding a leather briefcase in front of her she gestured to show something was inside. “I’ve got the eyes right here if you’d like to see them.” A doubt remained in her mind. Would eyes of pure evil force a change of heart in her? Naibu remained silent during her theory crafting. Regardless of what happened it would all be in Mirō’s favour.

WC: 270

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

Kitsune listened to Miros concerns and smiled ”Don’t worry. It won’t hurt a bit. You can opt for local anesthesia or I can knock you fully out so you’ll wake up with the procedure being done.” she explained calmly ”Luckily, the healing process is easy thanks to medical jutsus that’ll speed up the natural healing processes of your body, so regardless of which option you pick, you’ll be ready to use the new eyes in no time at all.” she said and sat down in the chair next to the desk. ”Took me a short time when I had the surgery performed, so we’ve definitely improved there, I’d say.” she added with a lighthearted chuckle.

Hopefully Miro would then be clued in to the fact that Kitsune herself also having had the surgery performed at this very hospital by a very skilled surgeon, the medical Sennin at the time, with no side effects or anything out of the ordinary. ”Do show the eyes, Miro-chan. Usually the hospital supplies them, but if you’ve brought your own set… I don’t see why we wouldn’t just use that.” she said, running a hand through her hair to fix a few strands that had gone astray, ”Where did you obtain them in the first place?” she inquired.

Knowing the source of bloodline related organs was quite important, because had they been stolen from someone or had someone been killed just for the sake of power, action would need to be taken against whomever had done so. It wouldn’t be a good look for the Raikage if her shinobi were running around killing others for organs, when the hospital had a vault with perfectly viable donation organs for the exact same purpose.

 

[Kagami Miro]

A sigh of relief escaped her chest. A speedy recovery was a bonus to the surgery. Her anxiety fluttered away while listening to her Sensei, an eye brow rose in curiosity. Withdrawing from interrupting her mentor until she wanted to see her eyes. “Sensei. Where did you get your eyes from? Did you take the donation or were they inherited?” Miro asked innocently. Recalling from an old book in the library that Uchiha who sought higher power needed eyes to reach the next level. She assumed if they were true to your birthright bloodline the power obtained would be greater than eyes received from strangers.

When asked where she obtained her own pair Mirō was hesitant to answer quickly. The Slaver that owned these eyes mentioned something important before he was taken down. Pressuring him for answers didn’t work and he refused to talk peacefully. Unable to tell a lie to her Raikage, “I got them from my most recent mission Sensei. They belonged to the man operating the slave trade.” Refraining from spilling too much information since it was in the ANBU mission report files anyway. Her hesitation stemmed from the fact that these eyes could be one of her parents. “Is there truly a difference in eyes or does it not matter?” Placing the briefcase on the table Mirō opened it up and pulled out the jar. Within solution a pair of red Uchiha eyes floated aimlessly about. Setting the jar gently on the table Mirō stepped back to let the medical master look them over.

WC:257

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

Kitsune ran a hand through her hair and looked at Miro as the question of where Kitsunes eyes came from ”They’re from the vault.” she replied, ”My daughter, on the other hand, somehow achieved EMS without surgery. Something about it being in our bloodline and overcoming the trauma that triggered the Mangekyou at first. I never did, so. Surgery for me.” she explained and raised an eyebrow. Now she was curious about where Miro had gotten her hands on a set of eyeballs, and if it had been an innocent person doing it, or not.

Luckily, Miro weren’t hesitant to divulge that information, and told Kitsune that they were obtained from a slaver that had been taken down on her last mission. ”Ah, yes, I saw that report. Considering there’s no ANBU Sennin, I’m the one handling all that paperwork. If only someone would hurry up and qualify for the position.” Kitsune said, trailing off at the end as a sort of hint towards Miro with regards to the position. When next Miro asked about whether or not the eyes made a difference, Kitsune shook her head. It really didn’t. What mattered were the fact that it was a pair of activated Sharingan eyeballs.

”It doesn’t. So long as they’re activated Sharingan eyeballs, your own genes will handle the rest. Your own Sharingan powers will merge with what the eyes contain, resulting in a new Sharingan, with even higher power levels” she explained, ”The eyes act as a focus for your own power, while the genes from the previous owner will enhance your powers, and add to them. I’ve yet to figure out exactly how this works, but it does. I figure it’s got something to do with the way the chakra is channelled through the eye itself, along with, of course, genetics.”

[MFT; WC: 303]

 

[Kagami Miro]

Even her Sensei’s eyes were from the vault. Just how many sets of eyes did Kumogakure have hidden away in their medical vault? Mirō pondered for a moment. Her sensei’s daughter was able to activate her Mangekyou from a traumatic state. Looking back on her past it was either luck or a miracle that she herself did not have to take such a dark route. Even if Mirō was a tad jealous of her Daughter's natural ability to acquire her Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

Blinking out of her train of thought Mirō caught the hint. With a subtle smile it warmed her chest knowing the Raikage wanted a former slave as the Anbu Sennin. Mirō would need to excel further in missions to reach such a prestigious rank. It had been a goal of hers since she had joined the Anbu branch. ‘A means to protect my village, who protected me.’

Trying to remain focused on the scientific jargon from the Raikage, Mirō did collect the jist of it. After the surgery, it would be up to her to achieve the next level. “I had just thought I would ask.” Anxiously rubbing the back of her head, “Mainly because I believe the eyes I acquired weren’t the scum’s original eyes.” Her hand fell from the back of her head down to her side. There was a high possibility that these eyes came from one of her parents. If only she could locate them. A quick look of disgust painted her face before her attention turned back towards her Sensei. “... I think I’m ready for the surgery, Sensei. I want to get back out into the field.”

WC:276

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

Kitsune scratched the back of her head and looked at Miro. ”Well. For what it’s worth, I can’t think of someone more suited for a powerup like that.” she said, bringing up a terminal from her coat pocket to check the status of the operation theatres, to find one that’s available. As luck would have it, one of them was available for usage, so she tapped a few times on the terminal so it’d be reserved for her usage. ”I’ve reserved an operating theater. It’s a bit away, so lets get moving, shall we?” she said, gesturing to the door before heading out of it, expecting Miro to follow.



A couple of floors up, and a wing over, was the operation floor, with wards for patients to prepare in pre-surgery, and wake up in post-surgery, on one side, and the actual rooms containing all the surgical equipment on the other side. Kitsune would lead Miro into one of the wards and let a nurse there assist in preparing her for surgery, while Kitsune would head into the operating theater and prepare herself, with scrubs and all. Miro was gonna get the best care, she’d make sure of it. It’ll be interesting to see how Miro adapts to a new set of eyes. Kitsune thought to herself, mulling the situation over in her head.

When Miro had been prepped for surgery, the nurse would lead her in and at that time, Kitsune would gesture for her to lie on the operating table. ”So, the big question you gotta answer now, Miro-chan. Do you want to be awake, or knocked out, during the procedure? I can do it with local anesthesia, or I can put you under and when you wake up, you’ll have a new set of eyes. You decide.”

[MFT; WC: 299]

 

[Kagami Miro]

“Right.” replied Mirō. Behind her Raikage she followed her to a waiting room which allowed her to get ready for surgery. Stripping herself of her clothing and wearing the garments provided by the nurse a chill ran up her spine. The excess air flow made her feel vulnerable. Her hands never stopped constantly trying to cover her backside.

Soon after Mirō opened the door to see her Sensei preparing for the operation. Pausing momentarily to motion her over to the operating table. With ease and a small hop Mirō sat onto the table. The thought of her eyes coming out of her head wasn’t the friendliest thought in her head. “Just knock me out.” Opting in for a nap. Laying back the glare of the lights above blinded her. It made her wonder about how she’d handle her new power. She sought out her own power. Deeply rooted emotional ties to her parents layered on years of a miserable childhood. With intent to seek revenge on the same side of the coin left protection of the village. Could her time be spent on seeking out revenge or investing further into the village who made her into what she is today?

Her head drifted off in a trance. “Sensei. I won’t lose my natural eye color will I?” Refocusing her voice rang out to Kitsune. In the pit of her mind the natural gold of her eyes was something Mirō adored. A gift from her parents, but with these new eyes, maybe they’re just another gift. “Ah, forget it. They’re usually red anyway.” Mirō dismissed her question. A sad abundance truth behind her words. Facing the lights again her eyes closed. Hoping to be knocked out and waking up an hour later would feel like a time skip.

[WC:297]

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

While Miro prepared for the surgery by getting into the hospital gown, Kitsune went ahead and scrubbed up, and sterilizing her hands before entering the operating theatre. When Miro came in, Kitsune gestured for her to get onto the table and lying down. ”Knocking out it is. Don’t worry, when you wake up, you’ll have new eyes.” she confirmed and readied the gas that’d put Miro under, but before she could administer it, Miro asked another question. Would her eye color remain intact? Kitsune made a slight frown ”Well. Yes and no. Yes, because your body’ll ensure it, and no because you’ll likely be having your Sharingan active all the time.” she explained.

”It’s nothing to worry about though. And colored contacts are a thing you can use.” Kitsune added after a brief pause before continuing ”Anyway, I’ll be putting this mask over your mouth and nose, and you’ll be breathing in a gas called nitrous oxide. Then, I’ll need you to try and count from ten to one.” It was a commonly used method of putting someone under, and once they couldn’t count, they were out and the procedure could commence. Kitsune put the mask onto Miro, and waited.

Once Miro was successfully out cold, Kitsune would begin the procedure involving some rather medieval looking absolutely-not-torture tools, to keep the eyelids open, and allow her to scoop out the eyeballs and sever the optic nerve at the back of them. Once they were out, Kitsune would put the eyeballs into a jar of preserving liquid so they wouldn’t go bad and some other lucky shinobi might have use for them one day. Next up, inserting the new eyeballs. A simple enough manner, that involved attaching the severed optical nerve to the new eyeball using a bit of chakra trickery, making it heal up properly before carefully pushing the eye back into the socket.

After both eyes had been replaced, Kitsune would use a few healing jutsu on Miro to speed up the recovery time, and hopefully alleviate some of the soreness that’d be the result of having your eyelids forcibly held open for a while. All in all, it was a relatively simple procedure that had now ended, and once Miro woke up again, she’d have a new outlook on things. Figuratively.

[MFT; WC: 383]

 

[Kagami Miro]

Her Raikage's words repeated many times over in her head. A new set of eyes would leave her true pair behind. Receiving compliments on them it was safe to say it was her purest in her mind. The new pair would grant her the strength to move forward, hopefully it was something Mirō wouldn’t regret.

With a slow inhale the noxious fumes made her eyelids heavy. “10… 9… 8…” Breathing regularly that light that gleamed above her faded into darkness. “7… 6…” There was nothing to fear if her goals were engraved into her heart.

Within the darkness twisted memories of her childhood were revisited with sluggish movement. Futile to escape the pursuers in her memories an image of her childhood self was standing in front of her. Eyeless. She then pushed Mirō backwards into a darkened abyss. The fall felt as if it lasted an eternity. Waking up, gasping for air, Mirō looked around only to find herself in a darkened stone room with a chaotic looking altar in front of her. A large figure stood behind her as her head was sopping wet from behind dunked in a large bowl full of a red liquid. A figure in front of her wearing a hooded dark red robe slowly reached out. Fine fingers neared her vision. Before Miro could fully see the crest on her hand, she screamed. Fear finally took over.

Jolting upward in her hospital bed, gasps for air would be loudly made followed by a few rough coughs. Hands clutched her shoulders. Her hands didn’t stop trembling. Enduring a cold sweat, a hand reached up to see if Mirō could even see it. Her vision was blurry. Mirō squinted and adjusted her eyes to get them to focus on her hand. A violent surge of pain surged behind her eyes. Forcing her to clasp her face with her hand hastily the pain only lasted a few seconds. Grimacing in pain, struggling to catch her breath… “What was that nightmare...?” The pain felt all too familiar. Akin to when she was starting to develop her sharingan and perfecting her mangekyou. Was this the next level?

Minutes passed before Mirō began to stabilize herself. Her body felt as if it weighed two boulders. “Why do I feel… this chakra drained…” Her head slowly panned around the room. Taking notice of the mirror on the opposite side of the room, Mirō was able to make out what had happened. The pattern in her eyes had changed and her ability to see the entire room while staring forward felt crisp and pure. A calloused hand rose up to cup her scarred eye again. The pain in her eye was the new power and the feeling of strength would make anyone act foolish. It was decided to keep her strength to herself.

A deep sigh droned out from her chest. Falling back she let her head hit the pillows behind her. Unable to fully move from her exhaustion it was easier to let herself recover over time then spring right back into life. It gave her time to mule over her night terror.

[WC: 523]

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

”Welcome back to the land of the living.” came the amused voice of one Kitsune, who had been standing with her back turned to the bed while reading Miro’s chart ”Sounds like you had quite the nightmare. But you’re fine. Well, asides from your body needing to adjust to the chakra draw of the new eyes. Shouldn’t be too long for that though” she explained and turned to face her young student. ”With this boost in power for you, I hope you’ll train to meet my expectations.” she said, leaning against the windowsill, casting her gaze upon Miro in the bed.

Kitsune folded her arms and gave a slight grin ”Remember, I still intend to make you my ANBU Sennin, Miro-chan.” she said, withdrawing a piece of paper from her coat ”This was intercepted recently, and deciphered through the book you obtained in the village Maru destroyed. They don’t suspect one of their tomes has fallen into enemy hands, and the cipher remains the same. That means you did very well. And that we now have a boatload more intelligence on their troop movements and plans.” she finished ”For now, we’re gathering intel on them, and we’ll be planning a move against them soon enough.”

Finally, Kitsune stepped over to the side of the bed ”For now, take your time to rest, and get used to your new eyes. Come find me once you’re discharged from the hospital, and we’ll discuss further regarding the situation.” she said and headed towards the door, and out of it, leaving Miro alone in the room.

[MFT; WC: 262; Topic left]

 

[Kagami Miro]

The sound of Kitsune's voice made Mirō quickly sit up in bed. She didn’t even notice her when she woke. Had she become too comfortable or was Kitsune that sly? With new eyes Mirō looked back at her Sensei at the windowsill. A hand reached out to take the paper note she was offered. The contents within foretold of many more encampments across the area.

An affirmative nod was given to Kitsune. As the door shut behind Kitsune, Mirō looked down at the small note in her hands again. “ANBU Sennin…” Mirō fell back onto her pillows once again. Arms folded behind her head while a long drawn out sigh escaped her. “If there’s any regret, I’ll surely fail. I don’t plan on that either.” Lips crept into a smirk with a small laugh. The butterflies of anxiousness fluttered in her stomach with excitement. That smirk unable to contain itself into a full blown grin Mirō tossed the covers off her body.

The temperature of the cold tile numbed her feet as she hopped out of bed. Light fatigue encased her body but it did not stop Mirō from gathering her belongings from a nearby locker. Hastily changing into her attire, Mirō noticed her vision constantly adjusting and refocusing to whatever she looked at. “This is going to take getting used to.” Her eye lips closed, getting dressed without looking. Fully clothed, Mirō gave the mirror across the room a quick glimpse. A glower was given to herself. Speechless about how her new eyes looked and how intense they felt on herself. Dusting off her shoulder Mirō opened the door from her room to leave the hospital.

[WC: 277]
[Topic Left]