A Gift [Ryu]

The day had been a slow one, Yogensha having woke early and doing not much of anything. The sun had crawled across the sky in a burning arc which sent scalding rays down to everyone in the village. The people rejoiced, pleased with the warm weather and hot sun and excuses to laze about outside, stretched out on towels and chairs in an attempt to tan themselves. Gen had sheltered himself indoors for the most part of the hellish sunscape, cool air conditioned air breezing over his skin and dimmed lights hiding the otherwise blinding ball of light that lorded over the day. He did not like the sunny weather, particularly when it was as sunny as today.

As the evening drew near and the sun began its descent into the forest on the edges of the village, a missive game. An invitation for a meeting with Ryujin, the head of his clan and one of the most physically powerful members of the village. More importantly though, Ryujin was perhaps the single strongest political figure in the whole nation. Aside of being the head of the clan, the man had found a spot on the council as his birthright and seemed to know a huge number of people within the village. To decline the small invitation would not simply be rude but would be foolish as well. Plus, Gen happened to enjoy Ryu. The two had completed a mission together recently and while Gen had no idea what became of the bandit, it had been a somewhat enjoyable meeting.

And so he departed from his home as the darkness fell lightly over the village, the lamps and lanterns of the streets coming on part way through his walk. He had only a short distance to travel, but he made his way with leisure to the meeting location. He had no idea what this was about, though he hoped and expected it would be amiable in some way as the two appeared to be in good terms with one another.

The night had grown quite dark, but Gen pressed on easily, unpreterbed by both the darkness and the fear it often instilled in people. Sure, such fear had the occasional warrant, but he knew this village and, more importantly, he knew himself. None here could slay him, and none who could even contemplate such an act would dare it. He may not have been elected to the position of kage, but after the short demonstration of his at the defense of the village, any who had attended would likely think twice about grappling with him. The dark and the light of the village gave him no pause and created no fear in him. It was, after all, just a place and places could not last forever.

He drew closer to the man’s house, a bit perplexed at having been summoned to such a personal location, but complying just the same. Again, he could not reasonably deny a request of his lord or the leader of his clan, and even could he come up with some reason not to attend, he would not. As it happened, Gen respected, at least in some ways, Ryujin. While he had not known him much and had spoken to him for only a brief time, Ryujin had treated him well and left a good impression, something that few people could say and virtually no other Senju members could boast. And so he went, moving towards the man’s home, warmed from within by a soft light even at such a late hour.

He knocked upon the door at his arrival, waiting for it to swing open. He’d pull the hood down from his face, some small protection from the cold, to bare his face at his greeting. Assuming that Ryujin would answer the door, the dark haired man would speak. ”You summoned me, Lord Hokage? Is something the matter?” His voice carried only the smallest hints of alarm, showing that he doubted that whatever he had been summoned for was a terribly pressing matter, though he could not be sure. Perhaps something drastic had happened, or perhaps already Ryujin needed something of one of his ninja. So be it; Yogensha was prepared for most whatever was asked of him.

OOC:

As he approached, the door swung inward, revealing Ryujin answering the door. Gen blushed a bit at the other man’s response, chiding him lightly for his formalities. In all honesty, he could hardly help it, though he could try and tone it down around the kage. ”Of course you may call me Gen. You may, if you wish, call me whatever you like.” He paused for a moment, his eyes floating upward as he thought for a minute, forcing himself to be more casual. ”But yes, most people call me Gen and I’d appreciate it if you did as well.” He smiled then, genuinely, a sign of his own amusement at himself and his own awkwardness. ”I’m sorry Ryujin-sm… Ryujin. I’m not very good at this. My family raised me to be rather proper, but I will work on it.”

He listened on then as the kage spoke once more, paying him a personal compliment on his performance at the recent attack on the village, praising him on his capture, however temporary, of the six tailed false god. ”Of course Ryujin, your assault on the devils was both awe and fear inspiring. But I thank you for noticing; I sometimes wonder if the villagers care about the protection I, and we, offer them.” He stopped to think for a second, looking around. ”But I suppose that’s why our job is so important, isn’t it? I am glad you hold me in such high esteem though. It is a great honor.” He bowed slightly before aborting the motion, not wanting to be too stiff at such a time, grinning and blushing a bit as he regained eye contact with Ryujin.

He smiled fully then at the man’s next comment, his green eyes almost entirely eclipsed in the crinkles of his face. ”Ryujin, I already consider us as friends, but I’m glad to know the feeling is mutual. And I agree: none shall stand against the leaf with you at the helm and me at your side. We make a fine team.” His ears perked then a bit at the mention of a gift. Perhaps this was the true reason for the impromptu meeting? Or perhaps this was simply a thoughtful token of good faith. Either way, Yogensha felt a wave of contentedness wash through him at the thought of Ryujin’s acceptance and friendship, noting once more how unlike the rest of his clan the man could be. He mused silently as his lord spoke, following him slowly into the house. A large collection of surgical tools were laid out, organized quite nicely. One table held a jar with what appeared to be a floating eye. Gen’s own eyes widened at the site, confused for a bit.

The dojustu. So Yogensha’s initial assumptions were correct and this, there in that jar, was a real and true Sharingan, an activated eye of the legendary rival clan to the great Senju. Uchiha. Ryujin was correct: he had made his dislike of the rival clan quite clear, and Gen could not blame him too much. For whatever else the Uchiha were, they had done some truly terrible things in the past, particularly to the Senju. A dislike, even a hatred of them, was more than warranted. However he had no time to respond to this as his leader spun him a most intriguing story, mentioning that one of the enemy had arrived near the gate and perished, leaving his eyes to the kage. Curiouser and curiouser. As he had guessed, the other eye was in Ryujin’s possession, though he revealed it as a centerpiece to his forehead. Gen’s eyes widened once more, stunned momentarily at the magnitude of the gift.

”Ryujin-sama, I don’t know what to say. I…I’m honored. Beyond honored. This is an amazing gift, truly. I don’t know if I can accept something so meaningful, but if you’ll have me, yes. Yes I will accept it.” His smile faded, his face melting down into a look of clear determination, locking eyes firmly with Ryujin. He nodded once, a small motion, to seal the deal. Should Ryujin truly offer him this, truly bestow this gift upon him, he would accept it and bare it with pride. ”I fear, however, that I may never be able to fully repay you. But I shall try.”

The man held steady as his comrade and friend, his lord and clan leader, spoke candidly with him, outlining his own reasons for protecting the villagers and agreeing that the two of them made for a fearsome team. He heard also as the man confessed to the usefulness of Gen’s actions in the attack upon the village, sensing, perhaps, a note of regret in the other’s voice. ”Thank you for the kind words Ryujin. Without you It may have taken much longer to bring the beasts down. It’s lucky, or perhaps a gift of fortune, that we complement one another so well.” The two proud Senju stood silent then for a moment, eyes locked in a brief time of intense understanding, before Ryujin suggested they begin the surgery. Gen nodded, having thought rapidly but deeply about where he would place this sacred gift. He’d considered one of his eyes, but having not lost one in combat, he felt it would be suspicious to suddenly cover one of his eyes.

”Sleep will not be necessary I shouldn’t think. Pain is no stranger to me, as I’m sure you are away.” He spoke true, knowing the life of a shinobi to be a difficult one, as he sat himself upon the table, rotating to lay down on the hard surface. The tiniest moment of fear shot through him; he was cautious by nature, and while he certainly trusted Ryujin and respected him a great deal, the idea of forking over his safety to the man still tripped a deep-seated fear response. He took a deep breath, mentally readying himself for the coming trial. ”I think I’ll follow in your wake, Ryujin, and place it on my forehead. It seems an… appropriate place.” And with that, he reclined fully, eyes open as the other man began the procedure. He was ready.

It hurt. The pain of the cuts, of the large scale cosmetic work, sent of stabbing pain initially through his body, originating at his head but rapidly spreading throughout his whole body. The pulsing, throbbing nature of it only deepened as the procedure continued, flesh and muscle and bone chopping away swiftly and expertly by Ryujin’s steady hand. He thought to himself, amidst the endlessly ringing and pain of his throbbing head, whether it was wise to remain awake or not. He knew that under no circumstance would he willingly allow himself to be put under, but still, this did not feel pleasant. The pain deepened once again, the bone of his scull reshaping to accommodate the new eyeball. It felt indescribably, like something deep within him being pulled out from its proper place. Still, he gritted his teeth, remained almost entirely still safe for the occasional twitch of his fingers, and made very little sound.

The jar opened then, Ryujin bringing the eye to its proper place, and from this point on Gen could no longer say with certainty what was going on. Likely the man was, in some strange way, hooking the thing up to the visual center of his brain, something Yogensha was passingly aware of but in no way an expert. He reasoned, as the pulsating hurt of his body continued on, thrumming like the rails of a freight train, that Ryujin’s medical chakras aided this a great deal, though it still amazed him, even through the pain, that the man was skilled enough to do something of this magnitude. The process went on, time seeming to slow around the pain of the procedure, Ryujin’s hands flying in an amazing display of skill.

And then it ended. Chakra poured into the man, into his head and face and body, flooding him and filling him with a chilled, comfortable feeling that combated the burning pain of the new body modification. Within only a few moments the pain had entirely vanished and, quite suddenly, Gen could see. Well, he could always see, but a third area of sight revealed itself to him. The sharingan, placed up upon his forehead, opened and, with still one tome, looked out into the world. He could see chakra. He could always feel it, could always taste it ever since he could remember, but now he could literally see it. How strange and rather disturbing to know that, for such a long time, the whole world of chakra and its colors had, to him, been nothing more than scent and flavor. He blinked, once with his two eyes, then once with all three, getting used to the new vision.

He sat up then, looking over to his friend and surgeon. ”Thank you so much Ryujin. This… this is indescribable.” He did a small bow, perhaps a bit too formal for the situation, but he simply could not help it. His left hand rose the, up to his chest, a white blade appearing suddenly from his sleeve. Upon the flat of the blade, the side facing Ryujin, rested a strange, small symbol. ”If it is ok with you, I’d like to give you this. It isn’t much, but it” he paused for a moment, leery of revealing this about himself ”it contains my Flying Thunder God seal.
I didn’t know at the time, but I discovered this ability recently. You’ve likely heard of it from tales of old, but I can arrive at this seal whenever I need. If you’d like, you may have this, and whenever you throw it, I shall be there by your side.” He offered up the blade, hilt first, to the older man. ”I understand if you do not wish to carry it with you, but it may prove useful, especially if either of us is ever far from the other.”

He reached tentatively up to his forehead, fingers probing around the new eye, before a wide smile broke out across his face. Simply marvelous.