You Needed Me Sir? [Kazuki]

[Michi]

Follow-up to Akkuma's Imprisonment: Caging a Demon

It was a crime to disagree. She wondered what was the level of offense. The danger of saying the word "no." She was to meet with Kazuki regarding her insubordination. What choice did she have? Discard the identity she made for herself and the months she spent cultivating this facade. No. She would have to simply take it. So she entered the ANBU Headquarters, a space she entered so rarely. She found the space spartan. The paranoia surrounding most of the men and women that had chosen this branch was so deeply embedded in them that they left no personal items about, they did not relax there and socialize. It was more a work-space with alleged resting places and social spaces that were never used.

Her bandaged feet barely grazed the floor, her approach nearly silent.

She would likely be the first one in the room unless Kazuki had another, faster way of reaching the office. It was possible of course. If she was already there or he entered immediately thereafter she would do the same thing. She would tuck her hands behind her back and bow her head. "Sir..."

 

[Senju Kazuki]

[col]

After leaving Akkuma and Sousuke in the former's cell, Neophyte, as a good trainee, immediately went to Reaper's office. Kazuki left the cell in second place and noticed the direction she took, therefore, he went in the exactly opposite one. Find a good niche to seat, he sat and rested. The AiT would reach his office way before him and she would notice it to be empty. In fact, it was the most frugal office ever. A single table with nothing on top, except a for a tiny stack of papers. The desk had no visible drawers. The room only had two chairs, one on each side of the table. Each wall was empty except for the back wall that showed a series of screens that monitored the entire prison building. A poor man's version of what he had established on the Triskelion, the SHIELD Headquarters, that covered the entire village of Sunagakure and beyond. Suna would be at the entrance waiting for the Senju Overlord, and waiting she would be. Minutes passed without any sign of him coming. Minutes that turned into a hour, then two. Three hours passed and, eventually, a fourth would be reached.

By now, he was making his way toward his office, but he had, purposefully, chosen the longest route possible. Slowly navigating his way throughout the Obsidian Palace, the White Wolf would eventually ashore on his own private office. He would stop behind her. "Learned anything by now?" he would mumble right next to her ear. The silvery haired man was a very patient man, he would wait for hours, or more, in a single spot, without any motion. She did not seem to be of that sort of people, thus why he was doing this. She claimed to be poorly trained, training was starting then.​

|[legend="[[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl7i_YxDl-8]Dark Ages[/url]]"]

Reaper - ANBU Captain

[/legend][/col]

 

[Michi]

She waited. Why? Because believe it or not, patience was something the pure-blood Ancient did not lack. Like the desert, she was steadfast but also stubborn beyond fault. She would hear the passage of footsteps, the beating of their hearts, the sounds of life even as it was continually drained in this accursed place by the antediluvian prisoner housed below. The voracious hunger The Wild Hunt represented was something they all felt, it was much like the fiery passion of Homura's Court or the yearning desire many humans felt, the only difference was that the Hunt could never have its fill. It was an unsettling part of his nature, his lust and greed. She sighed as the minutes ticked on past. Had he decided to not come? Perhaps. She considered leaving but she knew that Reaper had no love for her and she needed the mask and the anonymity that came with it; so she would do what she always had, she would endure.

Nearly thirty minutes would pass before she tested the knob. The aged knob rattled from side to side, the office was unlocked. She knew the office was empty, humans made so much noise with their churning stomachs and the shifting of their garb. She could hear the bolus of saliva as it was swallowed down their throats and the raspy breaths they continually take. She looked around at the spartan space. It did not feel like an office, not a real office at least. She looked up at the monitors, there were a lot of them. She did not even know about them. It was good to know that she, well everyone here, was being spied on. She tried to memorize the angles and locations of each camera. It could (and would) be useful at a later date.

The desk was truly the most curious thing. No personal impedimenta, no rogue writing implements, gaudy paperweights. People by nature might be near, but rarely quite so. She would listen for movement down the hall as she circled the desk and its apparent lack of drawers. Doubtful. Either there is storage here or this office was not truly an office at all. She would run her finger along the face of the desk in an attempt to feel a groove or an indentation but she would not linger for long. Curiosity has a way of biting her if she idled too long so she was pass on by regardless of her findings. She could always return later. She also wondered about the walls of his humble office space. They were bare and no wall in the obsidian was bare. Runic symbols were embossed on every single wall to prevent deviants from traversing through solid matter, otherwise anyone that knew rudimentary skills such as Inner Earth Reflection Lure would be impossible to restrain. Perhaps it was aesthetics that caused him to make these walls bare, or perhaps there were spaces beyond. The later more interesting than the former since she doubted a masked man with such simple tastes would care so much for a minimalist look that he would forego safety and security. Curious indeed.

She would not explore for long, people would eventually pass and while her ears were so keen that it was unlikely that she would neglect noticing their approach she did not want to risk being enthralled or being rebuked twice so she would exit the empty office. She would do nothing with what she found, if she found anything during her peripheral assessment. Reaper would be foolish to assume that she did not enter the room or explore it, although most would likely do so more vigorously. She would return to the threshold, she did not want to demonstrate her skill set either by determining his approach without seeing him so she would lean her back against the frame and wait.

And wait....

And wait....

And wait...

He would come eventually, her eyes peering to the left and her back on the corner of the door, facing the right. She would hear his footsteps and the sounds of life he made as they reverberated off the stone walls. She would not turn, he was not making enough 'noise' for a common person to notice. Still her breathing slowed as she listened to his approach, she had a pervasive distrust of the ANBU for the very same reason that she became one of them -- the ANBU by nature was one of the best places to hide in the village. She doubted he would attack her but she considered every ANBU to be unsettling at their hidden core.

"Learned anything by now?"

She nodded. She had learned something, just not the lesson as intended but she did not know that he had a lesson plan. "Yes sir," she claimed. Was this where she was supposed to state that 'it will never happen again'? She was not certain, his question was too open-ended. Was this an attempt at teaching her humility? Reminding her that -he- was in charge? Merely the result of an absent-minded Captain. Perhaps he simply wanted to separate Akkuma from her because he knew she would hunt him. She would not admit it of course. After all, that was why she was here. Her stubborn refusal to let the demon go.

The silence that followed would be awkward. The sort of silence that you desperately want to fill with a word or a sound. "What did you require of me sir," she would finally ask if he did not say something before. Her shift was long over and she was in all honesty itching to hunt Akkuma. She knew where he lived, that was a non-concern. It was where he went when he was not home. Where he went that lacked witnesses. Where he went that sh could finish the job.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

[col]

”Yes sir.” Neophyte would claim upon being questioned by the ANBU Captain if she had learned anything. Of course she would say so. Why would she deny it? Was she trying to show an humble face after all? Kazuki did not buy that. He slowly made his way into his office. He would motion for the trainee to enter it and close the door behind her. Immediately, the bare walls would gain new life. Where once was nothing, now countless runic symbols littered the place. A native to the Wind Country would recognize most of those symbols, especially if they are as long lived as the Earth Queen. But even Suna would not know them all. Reaper had added runes unknown to this country, symbols he had brought with him from the Fire Country. What purpose they had, was unknown to all, except him. She could question him, but he doubted she would say anything about it. Even if such symbols would not go unnoticed by her.

He would take the chair behind the desk, gesturing for her to take the other one. But before he sat down, the Senju Overlord would touch the back wall with his right index finger. Immediately, the images began shifting, as if the actual cameras were as well. Then, one by one, all the screens would go black. Once the every single camera had been shut down, the vigilance system would begin to fold on itself until only a cube remained. The Cube. ”Enjoyed the view?” the White Wolf would casually inquire as he stored the cube in a pocket of his vest. Only then he would take his seat.

”And what did you learn exactly?” he would calmly question. He would intertwine his fingers and simply wait for an answer, for as long as it took. There was an eerie silence in the room by now. A gloom feeling, not exactly entirely pertaining to the actual nature of the Obsidian Palace. It was the silvery haired man’s own nature that was spreading, adding its effects to the building’s. This was going to be a short, but very memorable, lesson for her.​

|[legend="[[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl7i_YxDl-8]Dark Ages[/url]]"]

Reaper - ANBU Captain

[/legend][/col]

 

[Michi]

She complied and entered the room. Even if there was a creeping sens of doubt, she had too much pride to admit such. The door would shut behind her and she would linger closest to the exit as the walls shifted. It was simply instinct, not fear that dictated such. Her eyes would scan the room and she would endeavor to recognize the markings on the walls. She knew most of them because they predated humanity but the years seem to have a cumulative effect. She did not recognize everything embossed into the stone. She did not notice these symbols in other parts of the Obsidian. Was Reaper a scribe? His power-set was eerily similar to... Well, never mind. That foreigner has a habit of climbing ranks but she doubted even he could have infiltrated the ANBU Branch and made Captain while also schmoozing his way to Sennin. Perhaps Mikaboshi got around more than she thought in his hey-day.

”Enjoyed the view?

"Heh--"

As he sat she would remain standing. Her metaphorical eye on the door.

”And what did you learn exactly?”

"About you? ...that you deceive," she was referring to the false office. The facade of normalcy that hinted at his paranoia but blunted the truth that he was indeed worse than suggested. "About me? I..." She considered giving him the answer he wanted to hear, "need to learn my place." She lied, she had no intention of learning that. "You..." back to him, "like to play mind games, have an abundance of time and"</B><i></i> she gestured towards the pocket that now housed the cube <B>"resources." That technology exceeded known regional technology if it was indeed a mechanization. "I..." she exhaled, "will be cleaning latrines until next Harvest." She shoulders deflated slightly, she did not care about menial labor but she was not going to tell him that. She was an accomplished ninjutsuist, there were plenty of short-cuts and she utilized each and every one.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

[col]

"Heh--" Neophyte would remark. She would refuse to take a seat, preferring to stand. There was no point in forcing to take one, even if he could do so. Soon enough she would beg for a chair. Perhaps he would show clemency in allowing her to take his offer then. "About you? ...that you deceive.You... like to play mind games, have an abundance of time and resources. About me? I... need to learn my place." the AiT would assess. She was correct, she had to learn her place. Reaper had told her a few times before. And it was rather irrelevant if the idea of learning her place was something she had no interest in at all. She was going to do it regardless. "Sunagakure needs soldiers. The ANBU Branch needs nameless soldiers. And what soldiers do? They obey orders. That is expected of them. We are expendable drones to our superiors, and yes, that includes even me. When we are on the field, in the course of action, I expect utter obedience from my soldiers. If I want an opinion, I will ask for it. But if I don't, then just don't. Unlike many others, I do not mind if my underlings come to me my office and talk with me. If you wanna question me or my orders, you are free to do, but when the time is right. There is a place and a time for everything and you will learn that Neophyte." He was not deceiving her when he told her he was willing to debate. He had always given that opportunity to everyone under his command. And he had many people under his command until today. And given his longevity, mortal or not, he would continue to have many under his belt.

"I... will be cleaning latrines until next Harvest." Suna would declare, jumping ahead. She was under the impression he was going to punish her numerous transgressions. She was correct, yes, but that was not the punishment he had reserved for her. The ANBU Captain would shook his head. "You are mistaken Neophyte. You will not be cleaning latrines. What you did in front of Akkuma, a prisoner would be enough to throw you into the Pit. But I won't be doing that, just like I will not be placing you under cleaning duties." the former ANBU Sennin clarified. He allowed her a moment of silence so his words could sink in. "Tell me Neophyte, how many times did you disobey or questioned my orders back there?" Reaper would question her.

"Iceman and Human Torch, you are needed in my office at once." the ANBU Captain would request via his headset. Moments later, two individuals would knock and enter his office. The first was a humanoid figure completely covered in ice. The other was a humanoid figure completely covered in fire. They were not exactly members of the ANBU branch and they did not wear any masks. They abilities actually disguised them entirely. They were summons of Kazuki. "Remove the bandages of one of your hands. Iceman will freeze it solid and then Human Torch will scorch it. This heat transfer process will happen for as many times as you commit a transgression. Any hand shall suffice, so choose one." A gruesome punishment, perhaps not entirely fitting to the crime. But sometimes harshness was needed to teach a lesson. "You are free to refuse, but you will be expelled from the ANBU program." he would warn her.​

|[legend="[[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9d9UrK0Jsw]A Song of Fire and Ice[/url]]"]

Reaper - ANBU Captain

[/legend][/col]

 

[Michi]

She did not like this feeling, this knowledge that she had chosen to allow herself to be judged. That she was going to have to submit or be expelled, yes she knew this before she entered the office. It was why she waited for him despite the protracted intern, she knew her limits and when she needed to obey or be expulsed. It felt like she was in the principal's office, about to be subjected to a childish form of punishment such as detention which to a juvenile would seem like a harsh and terrible penalty. She expected mundane labor, something that would leech away at her time or pride. Neither things she relished surrendering.

"Sunagakure needs soldiers. The ANBU Branch needs nameless soldiers. And what soldiers do? They obey orders. That is expected of them. We are expendable drones to our superiors, and yes, that includes even me. When we are on the field, in the course of action, I expect utter obedience from my soldiers. If I want an opinion, I will ask for it. But if I don't, then just don't. Unlike many others, I do not mind if my underlings come to me my office and talk with me. If you wanna question me or my orders, you are free to do, but when the time is right. There is a place and a time for everything and you will learn that Neophyte."

"Yes sir," she replied. She was going to tell him what he wanted to hear. Should she be getting a mop and a bucket? The day already proved to be longer than anticipated. Her shift ended hours ago but here she stood, seeking an end so she could continue her civilian charade.

"I... will be cleaning latrines until next Harvest."

"You are mistaken Neophyte. You will not be cleaning latrines. What you did in front of Akkuma, a prisoner would be enough to throw you into the Pit. But I won't be doing that, just like I will not be placing you under cleaning duties."

"He--" she started to say something but she stopped herself. It was a debate that she was not going to win. They released a demon basically on his own recognizance into Sunagakure after he allegedly attacked the Tsuchikage, nearly caused a riot and increased political tensions. Yet she was somehow the one potentially facing the pit. Debate was the wrong answer, "thank you Captain."

"Tell me Neophyte, how many times did you disobey or questioned my orders back there?"

She had no idea. Twice? Four times? She was not actually paying attention. "Six times, Captain?" She lied, well she made it up. The number seemed high to her, higher than her likely transgressions.

Kazuki would place a call, "Iceman and Human Torch, you are needed in my office at once." Why she had no idea. Was it the pit after all? She listened for footsteps down the hall, they were approaching. She could see them before they reached the room, she could feel the hot and the cold roll off them as they entered the office but she did not turn. She waited for them to pass on by. One of fire and one of ice, she knew neither.

"Remove the bandages of one of your hands. Iceman will freeze it solid and then Human Torch will scorch it. This heat transfer process will happen for as many times as you commit a transgression. Any hand shall suffice, so choose one."

"So torture," she commented or perhaps clarified. "And I am losing a hand." Yes, she let that sink in. Her hand would be unusable after suffering such an insult and she knew it -- Ancient or otherwise, this was her body for now. Doubt crept in. She did not want to.

"You are free to refuse, but you will be expelled from the ANBU program." He reminded her. She could not leave, her survival as well as the resurgence of the courts depended on it. She would survive, even if not fully intact.

Wordlessly she unwound the bandages from her shoulder to her hand. She did not need the bandages to catch fire and spread. She chose her right and raised it in front of her. "Do it," she consented. She was of course underestimating the pain and the damage it would cause to her but in the end she did not have a choice. "Just get it over with, I have work in a few hours," she concluded and tried to sound brave. She was not going to be able to work again, not for a long time. Again, she was not thinking this through fully. She should be telling him 'no.' She should be appealing to the other Captain. She should favor her health above her position but this was not the time to say 'no' unless she wanted to end her career. There was no level of certainty the other Captain would agree. Yes, she was thinking it over but the answer was the same as her first instinct. Just let it happen. At least she would freeze then char, never bleed. It was fine. She was fine. She could do it.

"Ice first, right?" There was uncertainty and hesitation in her voice, she was thinking about it. She laid her right hand over Iceman's and closed her eyes. She counted her breaths, it was something to distract her.

This was how compliance was taught -- through fear and conditioning. It was not so alien truly, the zealot fanaticism of the Soverign was born through similar methods not that either truly realized. Would she deny him again, unfortunately yes. That would be at the gates. That would be the day when one of their ways of life would likely die but that was a tale for another day.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

[col]

”Yes sir.” Neophyte would reply. Of course it was impossible to discern if she was being truthful, or was just playing to his ear. Nevertheless, the plan was going through and she was going to learn. ”He…” the AiT would begin, before cutting herself short. It would seem Akkuma was a trigger word for Suna, reasons unknown. But at least she seemed to understand debating would be pointless now. ”Akkuma is no longer your concern. The Kazekage has taken that weight from your shoulders and placed it upon his. Remove him from your head. That is an order.” Reaper would note. She was overly focused on the half-demon. There was an uneasy feeling about their relationship and not all of it could stem from the interrogation. The ANBU Captain had no love for demons, he tolerated them at best, but she seemed to be on different league. In fact, it was a clue to her true identity. Ancients hated demons with a passion. But discovering who she was, was a matter for a different day.

”Thank you Captain.” the bandaged trainee would say, after learning she was not going to clean the bathrooms of the Obsidian Palace. If she knew what was coming for her, she would not be so thankful. But time would reveal to her, how wrong she was. The ability to learn from her past mistakes, or not, was entirely on her shoulders. For her sake, she had to. ”Six times, Captain?” Neophyte would reveal her estimation of the number of transgressions she had committed. The former ANBU Sennin did not count before and he was not exactly interested in the actual number. But six was good. Six he could work with.

Human Torch and Iceman would enter the room and stand behind the bandaged trainee. ”So torture. And I am losing a hand.” the AiT would comment upon learning what was Kazuki’s plan. The Senju Overlord would shook his head. ”Punishment for your misdeeds. Insurance they will never happen again.” he would clarify. ”Do it. Just get it over with, I have work in a few hours.” the bandaged trainee would speak. She seemed eager to start. Perhaps the faster it happened, the faster it would end. Of course, she was not anticipating how painful the experience was going to be. Utterly painful it would be. ”As you wish.”


”Ice first, right?” Neophyte would hesitantly inquire. She would also extend her hand toward Iceman. Kazuki simply nodded in agreement. Without direct input, Iceman would approach the bandaged trainee and it would pick up Suna’s hand in an almost gentle way. It was practically impossible to discern the summon’s actual expression, but it had a sorrowful one. Using his powers of cryokinesis, the summon would start decreasing the woman hand’s temperature. The skin would eventually a bluish pigmentation. Miraculously, it was fully concentrated on the hand, with the wrist and the rest of the arm still bearing the normal skin tone of her and natural temperature. The hand would start get more and more rigid, until it became frozen solid. Just by the look of it, this was a very excruciating process. Any lesser human would have fainted by now, but Reaper was certain Neophyte would endure, no matter how traumatic this would be for her psyche.

Freezing it solid was only half of the punishment though. Iceman would release its hold over the AiT’s hand, retreating and giving Human Torch the space. Just like the ice guy before, Torch would gently pick up the bandage trainee’s hand, not that she would feel it to begin with. Using his pyrokinesis abilities, it would heat the hand up. If getting it frozen was an extremely painful process, the event of warming it up was even more so. It would eventually thaw, but the heating would not stop. The hand would gain a reddish pigmentation, only for it to turn black. A severe burn. ”One is done. Five more to go.” the ANBU Captain would declare.

[MFT - 667]​

|[legend="[[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9d9UrK0Jsw]A Song of Fire and Ice[/url]]"]

Reaper - ANBU Captain

[/legend][/col]

 

[Michi]

”Punishment for your misdeeds. Insurance they will never happen again.”

He reasoned before he commenced this exercise in authority. She took a pair of deep breaths as her hand was taken by the stranger with a fitting moniker: Iceman. His hands had a chilling presence before the true cold came in a wave, She did not speak, she was preparing herself for for the anticipated anguish that would soon follow. She did not look at Iceman, she stared at the Captain through those hollow pits in his mask. There was a difference between being brave and being stoic but she was trying to be both. The cold would come and it would ache but only for a moment before her hand was numb but her arm felt heavy. Her shoulder would sag ever so slightly to the right. She knew without looking that it was frozen, a frigid, bluish appendage dusted with ice crystals. Her body shook, the chill spreads like a fog unwilling to be contained, A body is a mechanical system, everything interconnected in an attempt to maintain homeostasis. It was instinct to draw her arm towards herself, to warm what should not be cold as her body convulsed with a shiver and she tried to will her arm to remain outstretched but that would be more a measure of futility when Iceman relinquished his hold and the arm as if it was made of stone dropped to her side. Even through the bandages she could reel the radiant chill of her icy hand against her body.

Breathe -- it is not so bad. Stop acting like a child.

With effort her flash-frozen hand was passed on to 'The Human Torch.' The ice would melt away, like beads of sweat that quickly turned to steam. She could feel something, it was a pins and needles sensation at first but the pain steadily crescendo. It felt like her hand was on fire because it actually was but her sense of pain was enhanced due to the loss of chill. Her hand instinctively moved and became a clenched fist as soon as it was capable. She did not notice the smell, it was as if something was cooking but whatever it was it did not smell 'good.' It was as if old meat was left to boil in a pot and the water had gone dry. Her hand would instinctively recoil but likely the hand was gripped before it could depart the flames considering the burn she was about to receive. She screamed although she did not realize that she was screaming. There was a sense of depersonalization as the world wobbled for her, it was as if it was not her own hand was as the roiling heat that was charring her flesh. For a moment she might have even thought she was blinded again if it was not for the fact that the world became a hot flash of white and gold as she blinked. No, she never blinked. Her eyes never closed but she would find herself on the floor, well on her knees. Her legs buckled from the pain and she came crashing down..

The practice of torturing and maiming one's own force for insubordination. It was an interesting choice. Rule through fear, fear of both pain and loss of function. Yes, he would earn obedience from his subordinates but he would also damage his fighting force. She understood what her losses meant but she also understood what it would mean if she was dismissed. She was given an option, lose an arm or die even if that was not something Kazuki realized. Perhaps he did not understand human, or Ancient biology that well. The consequences of burning her hand like a piece of meat. He certainly understood pain, how the fluctuation of hot and cold would innervate her pain receptors. If he stopped, if he knew when. Before the blister and certainly before the blackening, then his intent would have been only the sort of pain a sadist could provide. But no, he allowed the fires to persist until the flesh was charred and likely useless.

The pained expression was hidden by her mask as she gritted her teeth and tried to slow her breaths. She had too much pride to crumble to something like the loss of a limb. It was not as if she had the luxury of it growing back in a matter of hours, things did not work out that way, even for Ancients. When her body was broken, SHE was broken. It was only due to external intervention on both occasions she reformed as quickly as she had. A fresh cycle takes decades to happen. How would she hide this injury in the months that followed? Would her hand grow back at all -- likely but not for years by her best guess. Too long. She swallowed the bitter bile that had crept up the back of her throat and it burned along its descent. "Oww..." She muttered once she gathered the wind and the will to say something and wearily attempted to stand again. Her pride too great to plead or beg. Her ambition to great to fight or flee. Would that change by the end, most certainly but for now she could still muster the courage and resolve to put on a brave face.

”One is done. Five more to go.”

"Wait," her voice seemed to beg. Her mind was whirling, her instinct screamed that she should leave. That it was not worth the trouble, but it was and her reasonable side won out. Better to lose a hand than everything. "I-I... need to make a call," she claimed. Her blackened hand was useless less the occasional twitch of her fingers that sent shocking waves of pain through her limb. She would fumble with her other unless prevented, her thumb covering the signal she had chosen. Nobody would answer the call, that was intentional. She only meant to leave a message. "I... cannot..." the words were hard to say but not because she held any sentiment towards her station but rather because the searing pain in her hand persisted and it made it hard for her to concentrate. The pain would lessen and the stress in her voice would noticeably diminish if Ice Man or Reaper ignored her plea to wait. This time the Ice served as a respite to salve the pain. "Work for you any longer due to..." she would have to lie and say accident she supposed. No, she could find a better word. "Injuries sustained," she would gulp, her voice stressed. If Ice Man and the Human Torch continued their torturous process, by now the fires would have returned and she would have been screaming again as she turned off the headset. She was no longer any good there. Not in such a vocation and she knew it. Also, the injury too unique. They would know. The message would be left in Sousuke's office but no receptionist would leave him a message, that was one he would have to retrieve himself.

If they waited, she would nod that she was ready. It was a fatalists' perspective truly, she did not flee this fate but rather she would ride it out. She would wait it out. She would endure.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

[col]

The punishment was an horrifying process. With a single freezing to scorching turn, Neophyte's left hand would be lost. The AiT would endure as much as she could without slipping a sound, but she could not outlast the pain. Eventually the woman would scream in agony as her hand turned black and useless. Still, she had endured the process much better than any ordinary human would, Kazuki had to give her that, at least. "Oww..." she would mutter once enough wind had been gathered. She was exhausted and weakened to the extreme, but the fun had just began. "Wait. I-I... need to make a call," the disguised Suna would beg. The ANBU Captain held himself in silence, waiting for things to unfold. Torch and Iceman also waited to initiate a second round of punishment. And thinking the wait on their part was an authorization to make said call, Neophyte proceeded. "I... cannot... Work for you any longer due to... Injuries sustained." The Senju Overlord wondered who she was calling, but whoever he, or she was, no answer came back. There was no one to pick up the phone.

"I never said you could make a call. You will lose your other hand thanks to that. Iceman begin." Reaper would inform her. He was being downright cruel at this point. He had never said she couldn't as well and he never tried to stop her. But he called the shots there, like Dredd, he was the law in the Obsidian Palace. And his men would comply to his orders. Iceman, regretting or not, what he was about to commence, approached the fallen AiT and gently made her seat up again, using her still living hand. But before he could initiate what he had been ordered to, the door of the office would explode. Splinters of wood would shower the three man, all completely ineffective. As for the disguised Suna, Torch would erect a protective fire wall that would burn those nasty pieces of wood before she could be hit. The air would also be filled with sand particles and a man made out of sand would stand beneath the archway. This new guy had one of the most angriest expressions seen on an ANBU before, something blatant despite the lack of discernible features on the guy's face. "Stop this madness." he would command. Stepping forward, Sandman would approach Neophyte, although his eyes never left the frame of the Captain in the room. Sand would begin to be gathered on the other side of the desk.

"For impersonating ANBU Captain Reaper, you are under arrest. If you resist, you will be killed." Sandman would warn. "It seems madness has finally overcome your senses. Torch and Iceman detain him so we can continue our lesson." Reaper would answer. Unfortunately even the Human Torch and Iceman had come to realize this man acting as their Captain was either mad, or a someone impersonating the real guy. As stern as the former Sennin could be, he wasn't as nearly as cruel as this guy seemed to be. Expecting a rebuttal, Sandman would envelope the fake Reaper in a coffin of sand. Iceman would create several ice pikes that would pierce the coffin from one of side to the other. A scream of pain would reach out from inside the sandy coffin. But punishment was not over yet, the Human Torch would unleash a torrent of fiery inferno upon the sandy bind, vitrifying it completely. If the Captain had survived, somehow, he was not going anywhere any time soon.

"Come. You need to escape. Please endure through your injuries a bit longer. I have something that may help you out with it." Sandman would instruct as he offered his assistance. If accepted, the man made of sand would use his left arm to help her move while gathering an orb of sand with his right hand. They would quickly traverse the hallways, Iceman taking point and the Human Torch guarding the rear. Eventually they would enter another room, where one guy seemingly waited for them. "Doctor, she needs your help." Sandman would claim. Strange would quickly approach them and he would try to inspect Neophyte's damaged hand if allowed. The Doctor would glance the sandy orb and he would immediately understand the meaning behind it. With a nod, he would begin chanting in a strange language. "This won't hurt and it will restore your hand. Or, at least, you will be able to use it again." Sandman would tell her.

The orb would begin to levitate as Strange worked his magic. The sand would begin to waver as it approached the charred hand of the AiT. It would cover it. It was cold and soothing, if she could still feel anything. It would fully envelope her own, taking the same exact appearance as her flesh. "That is the best I can do. It will feel weird for a while, but eventually you will not feel as if your hand is not normal. It seems we have been breached and someone replaced the Captain. We will sort this out. In the mean time, please recover, but you should not stay in the Obsidian Palace. We will purge this place of all replicas. And it is not safe for you." Strange would inform her.

[MFT - 886]​

|[legend="[[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9d9UrK0Jsw]A Song of Fire and Ice[/url]]"]

Reaper - ANBU Captain

[/legend][/col]

 

[Michi]

OC: Liked the post before the intervention of Sandman and co. -- scary.

IC:

She made her call, it was nothing more than a notification. The message she left was not going to stop her hand from being destroyed and it was never her intention, there was a fatalistic part of her that knew that some outcomes would not be changed. She then turned off her headset. There was no reason to leave an open line. Besides, pain and punishment was a rather private thing to someone with as much dignity as her.

"I never said you could make a call. You will lose your other hand thanks to that. Iceman begin."

He proclaimed. What? That was not a part of the 'deal,' one where she was senselessly being tortured to make a sadist's point. "I refuse," Neophyte announced as she took back her blackened and mostly destroyed hand and refused to give her other. She agreed to the loss of one, not both hands. She would not be able to defend herself against Sousuke and his men when, not if, they came for her. She felt that it was a matter of time before they finally did. A select few already knew who her public facade really was, this was her back-up plan but if she had to she would find another. It was a game of chess as far as she was concerned and for the time being the queen was the only piece left on the board. She needed to be steadfast and to survive, otherwise the game would be ultimately lost. Iceman would pull her upright but she would push back. "I am not doing that," she snapped as she tried to move away. Her charred hand pressed against the floor as she braced herself, sending waves of pain up limb intense enough that she felt as if she might vomit. "I am leaving," she decided. Her position was hardly worth one hand, certainly not two.

She did not know if she was going to have to fight but a part of her thought she might. Reaper was looking for blood and she was no longer willing to let him drain hers. Before Iceman could continue his duty, or rather assault the door behind her burst open. A shower of splinters and hunks of broken wood rained down on them. Before the hunks of would hit any of them, a barrier of flames would be erected in the blink of the eye. Yes, it would destroy the splinters reducing them to unruly swirling embers but the hunks of broken wood... those would be simply flaming projectiles. Would one of those hunks of wood cast ablaze hit Neophyte, of course. Today is not her day. So yes, a hunk of flaming wood would clock her in the back of the head. She would momentarily see only white and then she would feel the heat from her oh so very flammable attire of bandages and woolen robe. She would rip off the hooded robe, thankfully she was quite the quibbler when it came to her bandages and not an inch of her actual flesh was exposed but some of her bandages were already blackened from the pyromaniac's heat.

"Stop this madness."

She turned around and through the heated haze she could not make out the form of the stranger nor did she know why he had entered. She was confused and her eyes scanned the room. The only one she recognized was Reaper, she did not know the other three and neither notion at the present moment was comforting. She would try to take a step back, it was instinct but step back to where. The small office was already overfilled. Her blackened hand bent at the elbow remained close to her body and partially protected by her left. The stranger, made of Sand approached her so she started to back away, the pain in her hand was blinding. Even if she wanted to cast something she was not entirely sure that she would be able to with a dead hand. A wall of sand blocked her path and separated herself from Reaper, the later not dissuading but limiting still.

"For impersonating ANBU Captain Reaper, you are under arrest. If you resist, you will be killed."

The sandman claimed. She would be confused for a multitude of reasons, the first being the fact that he was the ANBU Captain. She had spent the day, or the better part of the afternoon at the very least with Reaper during the interrogation of the prisoner. He was also present during their defense of the Obsidian. Both better opportunities to turn unless the change happened in the intern between the order to meet him here in his office and his actual arrival hours later. If that was the case, then he should not have shown. He should not have known or had an excuse for his petty cruelty. If he was an imposer it was doubtful that the actual Captain was alive or at least ambulatory if her injuries served as a reference point. Her post and impending penalty was unlikely his final words. She did not believe him, not that she would defend him.

"It seems madness has finally overcome your senses. Torch and Iceman detain him so we can continue our lesson."

There would be some in-fighting and she would attempt to cast a barrier but her fingers would fumble and she would not be able to cast her intended jutsu or anything for that matter as her chakra faltered. It felt as if she was being stabbed with an icepick that was being jammed through the palm of her hand and wrist. "My lesson is over, I quit!" She insisted, reminding him of her previous refusal. In a moment of teamwork a barrage of attacks would converge on the masked Captain and she would duck before the wave of heat crystallized the sands that had ensconced Reaper. The searing heat could still be felt due to her proximity and it left her dizzy.

"Come. You need to escape. Please endure through your injuries a bit longer. I have something that may help you out with it."

It was her right side that was burned, using his left to guide or rather pull her out of the room would cause intense pain. Part of her hand would fall away, It was only ash, leaving the burnt husk of a digit on the floor that would be crushed underfoot as she was led out into the hall. Was she in trouble? What was happening? "What is going on?" Her thoughts gave way to words as they dashed around a corner and into another room. This room had someone else in it -- some weirdo wearing a colorful dress.

"Doctor, she needs your help."

She did not say anything. There were no doctors in the Obsidian, well there might be doctors and like scientists they would be of the 'mad' variety. She would not share her hand freely, her hand hurt so she was protecting what little was left of it. If he managed to grab hold of it, she would not have much fight left. She was almost delirious from the pain, not that they could see it but her body was misted in a cold sweat. biology was still biology, the deviation of electrolytes and the fact that without iceman's cooling skill her limb had continued to burn this entire time, albeit slower and hardly as damaging before the laws of convection would extinguish this self-sustaining calefactor.

He would say something, she would not know what.

Sand would agglutinate on, over, and in place of her lost flesh. If nothing else it salved the constant burn she was suffering from. She would let out a relieved sigh, the absence of pain was welcomed. She watched with idle curiosity but there was a creeping sense of trepidation as the sands lingered and remained. Sousuke had filled her wounds once with stones and earth, wrapped her body in crystals and then suffocated her 'because he was distracted.' That was his side of the story at least -- that he was helping. That he was distracted. That it just happened. Her hand twitched, it was not painful.

"That is the best I can do. It will feel weird for a while, but eventually you will not feel as if your hand is not normal. It seems we have been breached and someone replaced the Captain. We will sort this out. In the mean time, please recover, but you should not stay in the Obsidian Palace. We will purge this place of all replicas. And it is not safe for you.

She shook her head, she did not believe him but she was done debating for the day. "Why me?" It was a good question and it came about because he said it first. Why was it not safe 'for her,' an AiT of relatively no import or authority. She had worked beneath notice for years already. So why her? She looked down at her hand, it worked even if it was a facsimile. It opened and it closed.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

[col]

"I refuse," Neophyte would announce once Reaper told her she was going to lose the other hand. "I am not doing that," she would snap once Iceman attempted to gently pick her up. "I am leaving," the AiT would declare. The ANBU Captain would shook his head. "You are under the impression you still have a choice in this. I offered you one before this started. I gave you a way out, but the ability to choose has been taken away from you when you chose to stay. You will have to suffer through this now." he would clarify. Was she more enlightened now? Quite probably, although pleased she would not be. Sandman's sudden appearance would shift everything. He would declare Reaper as an imposter and a fight would ensue. The Captain versus the three elemental humanoids. It would be a brief struggle that the elemental side won, even if temporarily. Midway through Neophyte would say. "My lesson is over, I quit!"

Accepting Sandman's suggestion, the AiT would follow the older guy as they navigated through the maze-like corridors of the Obsidian Palace. "What is going on?" she would question. The man made of Sand would pause momentarily to look at her, but he would swiftly continue."I am not the best guy to explain the situation. I will ask the doctor to do it." he would say over his shoulder. Their appearance could be weird since their surface was covered by a specific elemental nature, but they were still ANBU officers beneath those layers. And as such, they were soldiers, soldiers that did not notice as Neophyte struggled to keep up with them. Eventually though, they found the Doctor and he worked his magic on her. Was it the best medical procedure ever done? Not in a long shot, but it would work. She had regained the use of her hand at least. For as long as that facsimile appendage worked.

"Why me?" the AiT would question Strange. Before he could answer, Sandman would approach the capped individual and he would whisper some words. "Sandman has told me you are oblivious to what has been happening as of late. I will try to be as comprehensive as I can, but I only know so much. The ANBU branch has been infiltrated by sleeper agents that have been replacing Sunagakure's ANBU. We are positively certain they are either people acting under the Sovereign orders or agents obeying orders from the Ancient kind. The reason is quite simple, they are undermining the ANBU branch and they aim to destroy it from within. We have no idea when was Reaper replaced but that guy is not the real one. He would have never placed an AiT under such risk like you have been today nor he would have punished you like he did." the Sorcerer Supreme would clarify. It was hard to understand and there was little to no proof. But it was a fact. "As for why you? Well you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You have become a target to him. Leave the Obsidian Palace, lay low for a while. Guard the gates if you wish. We are going to try and purge this branch or die trying. Now girl, hurry."​

|[legend="[[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9d9UrK0Jsw]A Song of Fire and Ice[/url]]"]

Reaper - ANBU Captain

[/legend][/col]

 

[Michi]

"Sandman has told me you are oblivious to what has been happening as of late. I will try to be as comprehensive as I can, but I only know so much. The ANBU branch has been infiltrated by sleeper agents that have been replacing Sunagakure's ANBU. We are positively certain they are either people acting under the Sovereign orders or agents obeying orders from the Ancient kind. The reason is quite simple, they are undermining the ANBU branch and they aim to destroy it from within. We have no idea when was Reaper replaced but that guy is not the real one. He would have never placed an AiT under such risk like you have been today nor he would have punished you like he did."

What they were saying made no sense to her, her head was ringing with pain and it was hard to concentrate. They were making an egregious claim -- that the ANBU were being replaced with impostors. If the exact words they chose had any merit, the branch had been infiltrated by people that did not even know that they were impostors. They were suggesting that these ANBU were able to seamlessly replace her contemporaries. She did not believe them, she had no reason to, In fact their claim about the Captain contradicted his actions. If someone was so skilled that they could replace the Captain, torturing her would be very low on his priorities even if he was grossly unstable or cruel enough to betray reason and foil his own game. Still, they would hear no arguments from her, she had no reason or loyalty to the man that took her hand. As for this being an Ancient-devised plan to usurp the ANBU branch she would have to wonder how they even knew about 'Ancients.' Ancients have been 'dead' for generations and to now have acute fears that they would not only rise again but also infiltrate their branches seemed a bit reaching considering only two Ancients were left in the world and one has always made himself into quite the public spectacle. The second one was still out there somewhere but there were few that even knew she existed beyond Sousuke, Kazuki and Mikaboshi. She did not feel that any of them would make any effort to protect her identity but they would also not lie for her either. So where did they get the idea that Ancients were possibly infiltrating the ANBU branch, they were not wrong but that was something nobody knew about. Not yet. Eventually Kazuki would learn of her duplicity and defeat her but that was not today.

There was also another word, 'Soverign.' She had no idea what that meant but she had heard it twice before. In passing in the office whispered conversations concerning the Diamyo and his personal army dubbed 'The Soverign.' They were considered a risk, a threat in fact. Details were limited, little was shared with those outside the Kazekage's innermost circle. All she knew was that they feared them. That members had attacked before. That they felt that they would attack again. Was Reaper a Soverign? Yes, the thought had to cross through her mind but it had little gravitas. She had little personal experience with them and her enemy was also their enemy, so as far as she was concerned they were potentially on the same side. Was she just a random, unfortunate target? She wanted to know.

"As for why you? Well you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You have become a target to him. Leave the Obsidian Palace, lay low for a while. Guard the gates if you wish. We are going to try and purge this branch or die trying. Now girl, hurry."

Strange's magic gave her a hand. It was functional, albeit it felt strange. They were sending her on her way, an order she was not going to question considering the day she had already suffered. They claimed that they needed to purge the Obsidian, a lofty goal for one that understood the intimacies of this aged structure better than most. They would not be able to search the free-form prisons in the deep nor would they find the resident they unknowingly harbored in the darkest of dungeons. Still, she was going to leave them to their devices and give them their sense of purpose and perhaps victory. "Very well sir. Thank you." She was going to leave as suggested, she would not be guarding the gates. The day had drawn on, she was going to sleep. Gate duty could start tomorrow. Little would she know that she would be catching a number of visitors and that one of them would be her undoing.

Topic Left​

 

[Senju Kazuki]

[col]

It did not matter if those guys were actual ANBU or they were just summons from Kazuki’s soul army. It did not matter if the situation they described was real or if it was just made up on the spot. It was also irrelevant if Neophyte believed in it or was quite skeptic about it. The Senju Overlord’s actions had left a permanent scar on Suna’s flesh, though he had also presented a quick fix that would alleviate most of the problems of not having a fully functional hand. She was not aware Reaper was her hybrid brother, nor she would ever discover that. She also did not know why he did what he did on that day, perhaps not even he knew. But the White Wolf certainly never expected Neophyte to be the Earth Queen, though that was something he was on the verge of knowing, but was still oblivious to it.

[Topic Left]​

|[legend="[[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9d9UrK0Jsw]A Song of Fire and Ice[/url]]"]

Reaper - ANBU Captain

[/legend][/col]