Training

Senko sat on top of the plateau, his legs hanging off as he peered off into space. That feeling... it was amazing, he couldn't shake it. Those last moments of battle..... they'd felt so... so good. A shutter ran down his spine as he snapped back to reality. "Oh well, I suppose I need to get back to training. AND I'm going to need a new damn weapon." His thoughts temporarily turned to the destroyed and lost kama. It had been a useful weapon, but it obviously was not strong enough.

His left hand pushed into the ground as he tossed his legs up into the air and rolled himself back away from the edge and into a stand. His hands slid together transitioning from one seal to another before a poof of smoke erupted from under him and a shadow clone stood next to him. "Alright, here is the deal I want to figure out this technique the others are using. I haven't been able to figure out exactly how it works but it has something to do with their chakra."

The clone nodded, "Yeah I got that too, they appear to be separating it or something.... kinda like us bursting ya know."

Senko nodded, "Ya I dunno, lets just screw around with our chakra for awhile and see where we can go from there."

Both walked towards the center of the plateau, sitting, and crossing their legs facing one another. There hands rose as they struck tori.

Senko's gaze traveled down as he looked at his hand, the chakra was being focused in it and a dark amethyst flare erupted from it. Yet there was something else, he brought his face closer to the digits, an impurity? "Is that.... black?" His head shifted up to look at the clone to see if he was having the same issue.

The clone was frozen, his figure couldn't move. Darkness surrounded him. His hands were engulfed in black chakra and he could feel it burning away at his flesh. Suddenly he rose claws jutting from his fingers as his body bulked up and brown fur shot from his skin. His mouth elongated as sharp fangs replaced his normal teeth.

Senko's hands fell immediately as he jumped up his left hand moving across his boot to grasp his knife... which he had never recovered. A brief glimpse of him sitting in the tree, his gaze moving to where the man had fallen, the man who was not where he died, and the knife used to kill him no longer around. The flash back broke and Senko moved his right hand back and pulled out a kunai. "Alright, note to self, expel all corrupted chakra if that ever happens again." His form jutted forward as he brought the Kunai forward, thrusting the weapon towards the anthro's head. Immediately the beast swung it's claws into the path of the kunai and deflected it to the right. " I see, so you're more than just a corrupted clone huh." The beast lunged at him and swung his massive right leg out. The leg slammed into Senko chest launching him backwards off of the plateau and into the air. Disorientation wore off as his optics found themselves seeing land, air, land, air, land, air, land. "SHIT!" His figure curled into a ball as he rotated bringing his legs downwards readying to land. Yet before he could land he suddenly felt a heel slamming into his shoulder blade, his form rocketing down as he slammed into and through the ground. The ground crunching around him forming a crater. Senko laid there gasping as his left hand grasped the edge of the hole, his arm trembling as he pulled himself up. His gaze immediately turning up to the sky, his gaze shifting through the heaven's trying to find his attacker. Nothing....

The beast landed some hundred yards from Senko, it's eyes burning with fiery hate. Claws were brought up and slid together making gestures that closely resembled hand seals. After a string of 20 seals his hands slammed on the ground and he let out a massive roar.

Senko's visage shot over to the direction of the roar in time to see a massive cloud of dust, rocks, and debris rocketing towards him. His form sunk down as he brought his forearms up to protect his face. His eyes clenching tight as he rotated his head away from the direction of the blast. The cloud hit him, his form slid back, small rocks slammed into his arms cutting them, debris flinging into his side and legs left bruises. His form pushed forward as he dug his heels into the ground, slowly he crept forward, trying to make his way out of the attack. Yet as soon as he begin to make headway a massive bolder slammed into his body sending him hurling backwards into the base of the plateau. Several more bolders, rocks, and debris slammed into his form before the attack ended. Senko's form sliding down from the base of the plateau and onto the ground, his chest heaving as he gasped.

The beast strolled forward, triumphantly as if he had already won, his left hand reaching down to grasp Senko's throat. His fingers wrapping around the man's neck before lifting him into the air and letting him dangle.

Senko's hands grasped the beasts arms and wiggled about struggling, he still couldn't breath. His legs lashed out trying to hit the beast, and while some made contact he seemed unphased. Senko could feel himself fading, his mind growing dark. More darkness.... not again.

~Senko~
"Huh?"
~Senko, are you going to lose to yourself?~
"What do you mean, that's not me... that's something else."
~Senko it's made from your chakra, it is you.~
The darkness lifted a little, the silhouette of a samurai stood before him, smiling. ~You can't lose like this, we are too great.~
"Roger that!"

Senko's eyes shot open as he brought both of his hands away from the beasts arm, his arms then slamming back into the beasts limb as chakra erupted from them, resonating through the monsters figure. Immediately the beast stumbled backwards letting go of Senko, his arm shuttering. The beast looked at him, it's eyes still fiery, and then turned to dust. His form completely falling apart as the chakra which had composed his form no longer adhered with itself.


Senko blinked as he took several deep breaths, his left hand raising up, a chakra flame burning bright on it. His gaze shifting down into the depth of the flame, observing a small spec of black still lingering within it. "Hmm... I'll need to be careful."

It had been several hours since is fiasco with the clone, he now found himself lost deep within the labyrinth. His mind wandered as he walked around aimlessly. "Strength, what is strength? Is strength an equation... mass times speed..... is the amount of force you can exert over someone strength?" His form came to a stop as he sat down on a rock, his form leaning back against one of the walls. "No... that doesn't seem right. Is it the ability to defeat others without lethal force?" He pondered the idea for a bit. "That can't be it. If I choose not to kill someone, they may kill others because I let them live.... so choosing to kill does not make me weak. At least I don't think it does." His left hand rose as he brushed some hair from his eyes. "Weapons are strong because they punch through armor or can resist powerful attacks... or maybe because they can kill multiple people. Hmmm.... maybe strength is arbitrary. If I can lift heavy objects, does that make me strong?" His left index finger ran along the tip of his nose as he itched. A puzzled look grasping his face. "I have power attacks, I have mass and I can move fast, I have techniques to incapacitate, but I do not feel strong. I wonder, if I could defeat Taku Sensei, would that make me strong? If I became the Hokage, does that mean I am strong?" His head tilted down as he buried it in his hands, his elbows propped on his knees supporting the weight. "If I kill and defeat hundreds of other shinobi, does that make me strong? Will there always be someone stronger than me?" It was then that he felt a cold hand fall upon his shoulder, elongated nails digging into his skin. Fur brushed against his right ear, and he could feel lips brushing against the lobe.

"Little shinobi, heart so black, you truly are an evil one, aren't you?"

Senko's head shot towards the voice, yet nothing was there.

"Aww so empty, ye soulless abyss of corruption."

Senko's eyes darted around as he scanned for the disembodied voice, yet nothing. "Who the hell are you?" His form rose from the rocks as he brought himself into a high guard.

" I young one am Yasha, and I can off you power. Make a pledge to me and I shall gift you with the power of the Koumori."

Senko's eyes continued to scan around as he looked for the entity that spoke. It's voice of sweet and feminine, yet there was a nefarious undertone. "And what is this pledge I must make?" His voice shuttered a little as fear fastened to his bones.

"For an offering of one soul a month I shall bless you with a great power. As your offering stack, I shall bless you with more power."

Senko thought it over, he was a shinobi, deaths were going to happen in his line of work. And one a month should be more than easy, there was no reason to think that he wouldn't have to kill at least once a month. "And if I fail to meet your quota?" His left brow perked as he posed the questioned.

"Well then I shall devour you and everything that represents you, you shall be but a memory."

"Well, in that case... fine. If you provide me with jutsu, I shall find individuals to offer to you."

As soon as Senko finished his sentence he felt arms and legs wrap around him, two massive leathery wings embrace him, and the shadows engulf him. Two fangs sunk down into his neck, and a sudden burst of pain spread through his body. He could feel the blood pouring from the wound, but he could also feel something else forcing its way into the holes. He couldn't scream, he couldn't fight, he couldn't move, all he could do was stand there and take it.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only seconds, the beast let go of him. He went limp, his form hitting the ground hard. His chest burned, and his neck was numb. His eyes darted to the left to catch a glimpse of the beast. It looked female, had breasts, and wide hips. Yet obviously it wasn't human. Wings, fur, fangs, a bat demon...... his vision blurred as the pain spread through his body.

"Little one, much like the other children of the night, you shall be blessed with an amazing type of vision. You will focus your chakra into your sensory organs, and you will have them heightened. You'll be able to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel, more, and faster. And once you fine tune this ability you will be able to simply know, all things. "The beasts hand opened and a dagger fell to the ground." Kill with this and the chakra and souls of your victims shall be given to me. I shall count that as thy offerings."

And with that the bat simply vanished, leaving Senko with numerous questions. Where did she come from, how did she get here, how did she find him... and did anyone else know about here?"

After a few minutes of laying on the ground, Senko pushed himself up and made his way over to the dagger. It was strange, there was unknown kanji on the hilt, a ruby on the pummel, and the blade was curved. Picking it up he placed it within his left thigh pouch, his shoulders rolling as he stretched out his limbs. His neck felt stiff, his shoulder felt stiff, his whole body felt weird, more aware. He could smell fresh air, he could feel sunlight even though there was none. He could hear birds that didn't seem to exist, he could taste baked goods that had to be at least a mile away. Following his sense, Senko found his way through the labyrinth and headed towards town.

As Senko was making way further from the training ground he suddenly felt a ping in the back of his mind. Confusion overtook him for a moment, as a sudden realization as to what it was slapped him back to reality, fear grasping his stomach. "Oh jeez, I forgot about him....." Senko had completely forgotten about the shadow clone he'd left back in the forest to look for Taku Sensei, Idaku, and Shinn. And after his last incident with a shadow clone, Senko new this could be dangerous. "I guess I'm glad he found them... but they could be in danger. I have no choice but to go back there. Aye..... guess I'mma have to drain myself." His hands slid together chaining three seals to one another. "Kage Hokou no jutsu." His form became haze, black wisps fluttered away from his body. Shifting forward he hurled himself at a large tree, his form slamming into the shadow of the tree and vanishing.

Somewhere just outside of the training ground darkness gathered. Drifting from the ground the veil chakra danced about before condensing into a solid object. At first glance the object appeared to be human in nature, yet in fact it wasn't. It was the corrupted Senko clone. More bear than anything else, the monsters body resonated with the demon bears evil chakra. The corrupted clone shifted to the left, his gaze moving to look at the leaf village He could feel the remains of the demon bear hidden somewhere within the village. His form shifted forward, as all four limbs came in contact with the ground, his figure darting forward as he dashed towards the village, his claws ripping apart the ground. He could find the demon bear and release it from whatever cage or seal restrained it, and then they would unite together and with the aid of the captured demon boar, free the Ten-Tailed Beast.