Chapter 67

[Hey guys. Sorry for not posting a while. i came to visit my old folks for the holidays and the internet connection here is absolutely terrible. I had to go hide somewhere to post this chapter. Hope to get home soon and resume the steady release. Enjoy the chapter]

"Keep the brat safe, I have plans for him." Kazuma turned serious and spoke. The smile on Chiriku's face faded as he regained his stoic appearance.

"He is your son, Kazuma. Are you really intending on using your own flesh and blood as part of your plans? Have you not given up on your foolish ideals?" Chiriku glared at his 'friend', as his voice deepened in anger.

"Foolish ideals? After so long, how can you still not see the truth that is right in front of your eyes. Even with everything that is going on." Kazuma calmly replied his friend. There was no need for him to get angry. He had already tried convincing them in the past, to no avail. There was no need to try now. After he had accomplished the goal, even at the cost of his life, then he would see, they would finally understand. "As for the boy, you and I know we are nothing more than tools to accomplish dreams. What is wrong with him playing his role?"

Chiriku seemed angrier, "I will have no part in this. I will not allow the boy to be involved in your silly ideals." Chiriku kept calling his ideals silly and honestly it was beginning to piss him off.

"Regardless of flesh and blood or not, I will use him to complete what needs to be done." Kazuma spoke in a matter of fact as he held the weapon in his cloak once more to defend any attack that would come from his former comrade.

"Well said. Never compromise; Not even in the face of Armageddon. Well, since you both fighting for the boy, why not let me take him off your hands? I insist." A gruff voice startled both men as they quickly turned to the source of the voice. They saw a masked man wearing a long coat with a hood raised up. He had his hands in his pockets leaning against the tree in a very relaxed manner.

What was interesting was his mask. A white mask with what looked like inkblots which interestingly kept moving and changing patterns as he spoke. Both men had battled on the war field and been through a lot of life and death situations, yet neither men were able to sense his presence, coupled with his calm demeanor made them raise their guards and senses to the absolute limit.

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As I continued to stare at the two men before me, I felt quite good. I changed my mask because I intended to continue to use the Hollow Mask as my Anbu mask. Plus, I would continue to use it even after I leave the village. Meaning everyone would know it was me, and I could not have others knowing what I was doing until then. So, I went with the mask of one of my favorite characters of all time. Rorschach, from Watchmen.

The mask was not cloth like his, but made of the same material as the Hollow and Anbu masks. The inkblots changing was a simple genjutsu cast on it. Even if you saw through it, it still had a Rorschach pattern which served its purpose; Seeing what you saw when you saw it. I even got his gruff voice down- only God knew how long I practiced the voice while I was alone on missions.

The two men continued to stare at me warily. "Who are you?" Chiriku asked, although not seeming hostile, but very on guard. I assumed he figured since they were unable to sense me all this while, and from my statement earlier, it meant I had been standing around for a while, yet I had not attacked them, it was possible I was not an enemy. Or maybe I was just confident enough to take them both on.

"Me? I am the depiction of your very mind and soul. I am everything, yet nothing. I am Rorschach." I spoke as the inkblot continued to change shape. Both men frowned at my introduction. I turned to Chiriku and added, "You seem like an interesting mind, Mr. Chiriku, tell me, what do you see?" My question caused him to frown even more. Both men knew they would be lying if they said the patterns did not stir up something in them.

Even after dispelling the genjutsu surrounding the mask, they still saw something. Regardless, they still had their guards up in case it was an attack. I chuckled at their antics, "Don't bother. There is no attack. Back to business, I can help the child. I can take that thing out of him with a low chance of him dying. So, what will it be?" Immediately, Kazuma charged at me as he pulled out a staff from his robes, striking at me with it.

I stood there unmoving with my hands in my pockets anticipating for a change in the situation, and gladly, Kazuma did not disappoint. Kazuma charged at me about to draw his staff out. Chiriku moved to intercept his former comrade. "Wait, Kazuma!"

They exchanged a few moves before separating once more, with Chiriku standing in front of me with his back turned. I felt it was quite foolish of him, but I understood; Why would you willingly show your back to a stranger? Because not only did the stranger who arrived not attack when he clearly could have, he also just offered to help the person you have been so desperately trying to help. It was a show of good faith on his part. Besides, he still had his guard up.

"Chiriku, why do you stop me? You would choose a stranger over your comrade?" Kazuma spat out in rage. He had invested so much in his plan, yet this person suddenly strolled up and wanted to destroy everything he had built up to this point? He had waited for so long and in just a few more years he could finally begin his plans so why would this happen suddenly?

"Correction, former comrade." I pulled my head out from behind Chiriku and corrected the raging man. I am such a lady to help out. "Besides, you don't want the kid. You only want to use him for your own gain. Since I also want to use him for my own gain, which Chiriku would also gain from, I don't see why you need to be angry. Everybody gains. Besides, its two votes against one." The more I spoke, the angrier he got.

'When did we vote?' Both men thought. Chiriku slightly looked back, not diverting too much attention away from Kazuma and spoke, "Can you truly take it out?"

Before I could answer, Kazuma interrupted so rudely, "Are you blind, Chiriku? How can you suddenly trust a stranger who showed up from nowhere?"

"Kazuma, let us at least hear him out. If there is a chance to take that thing out of the boy without harming him, then I want to take it." The other monks may only see the boy as nothing but a demon, especially ever since that incident, but he knew exactly what was wrong. The chakra of the nine-tailed demon fox that had been cultivated inside him. He had seen the boy as his own for quite a while and he had wanted so desperately to find a way to take it out. Now someone arrives and claims to be able to do that, it was almost too good to be true, but he had to take it.