| abstract | - The wind blew the dark-brown shoulder-length hair of the young man, firmly standing atop the head of a large and peculiar reclining buddha statue. Around him were damp crimson soil and barren terrain that stretched as far as the eye can see. The statue's body traced its way to a large body of water, where it's feet dipped in the water. Such an area would not be one which the young man was usually at, as he has endless duties as the Kage of Kirigakure, but he chose it on his own free will. He chose it as a place worth using to defend his honor as a shinobi, honor that a certain man had insulted a few months ago, and he sought to fight till his last breath to redeem himself. Dressed in a blue kimono that outlined his physique, tied with a black ribbon that covered his torso and waist, along with black sandals, bearing resemblence to those worn by his ancestor. In his back, white bandages wrapped a monstrosity from view, with a skull at the top visible. It was a blade that left all who cross paths with Heiwa in horror, the great Samehada of the mist village. In his left and right respectively were two scabbards that kept his prized dual katana. Crimson eyes draped his eyes, forever stained by the history of his forefathers. Three tomoe decorated each eye, which had a demonic reflection of the full moon in the clear skies of the night, shining the earth and the heavens themselves. Calmly and silently, he waited for the infamous master of the Blood Prison to arrive into the scene. As he was being thought of, the devil had appeared...albeit in a rather unconventional way. Letting go of his control, Mukūrō's feet smashed on the ground beneath the water and sent a large column of water to rise upwards in a wave-like fashion in all directions around him. "Woops." Was all that came out of the man's mouth as he looked all around him to find his opponent, until he looked in front of him. "Oh. Hello again, Lord Mizukage." He spoke to the man in a rather casual tone, whose face would indicate that he would prefer anything but Mukūrō's condescending nature. Mukūrō performed a single backflip, readjusting his position on a bank near the water, while awaiting for Heiwa's declaration, if he had any. Livid thoughts crossed his psyche, infuriated by Mukūrō's behaviour, yet he remained quiet, his facial expressions not daring to discern his expressions to the world around him. The boy with emerald eyes slowly moved a few steps, hoping it was close enough to get his message to Mukūrō perfectly clear. "Nibui Aruji... As much as I would love to be subject of your shenanigans, I think we should not wast time on such a fruitless act." he spoke in a stern tone, emphasizing authority as his hakama made symphonies that accompanied his movements, credit to the friction between the two legs as he made his way to the feet of the reclining buddha statue. "Befitting that I made the first move, last time, I shall let you begin. However..." he paused, the edge of his lips parting to utter a few words, his right arm stretched to his left, slightly revealing the silver blade of his katana. "Do you have anything you need to get out of your chest before we do this?" "Oh, I have one thing." Mukūrō said with a tinge of enthusiasm as a massive shockwave erupted from his chest, running across the entirety of body as it destroyed the immediate area around him. "Ahhh...that felt good." Mukūrō stretched out his arms, yawning a tad as he did so. However, as he did so, a tinge of his skin underneath his right sleeve was flashed before Heiwa's eyes. It was colored a dark blue, an ill-omen that should not have been on the man's body. "But, in all seriousness..." Mukūrō stated, as his arm continued to be revealed. "If you're not blind, you should be able to see what's happening to my body. Self-titled "chakra contamination." Essentially, all the chakra I've stored in my body over the years is causing it to die. So...mind using some skills that don't make me absorb any more of your chakra? As it is...the Uchiha's chakra is becoming progressively less tasty." "I guess that counts as a move..." the thought ran through his psyche before he addressed Mukūrō. "Ever the comedian, I see. Worry not. We, Uchiha, have quite more to work with than just strong chakra... For example. Remember this!?" he uttered, before gliding at nigh-instant speeds. The technique he used was, undoubtedly, Mukūrō's own. In that instant, Heiwa's right hand had grasped the blade on his left side, unsheathing to launch an instant horizontal slash at Mukūrō. All courtesy of his previous experiences with the man, even faster and swifter than when he had done before. Mukūrō observed Heiwa's seemingly magnanimous feat, but showed no surprise in the slightest. The technique's usage was undeniable simple: a frontal horizontal slash with the intent of bisecting him. In a similar fashion, Mukūrō clutched his left hand on the hilt of the blade sheathed at the left side of his waist. The movement was executed at a speed effortlessly matching Heiwa's own, as his own blade suddenly rose from its sheath and clashed with his opponent's. The collision caused a small pulse of kinetic energy to burst away from both combatants. Mukūrō lifted his blade further out of his sheath and rotated its hilt in a clockwise direction within a moment's notice, causing both combatants to be pushed back by the sudden force. "What's wrong? I was using my weak hand, you know?" The clash of the blade caused the combatants to be pushed away from each other, with an extra push on Mukūrō's side. The young Kage took a small backflip, landing on the cold waters of the night. Heiwa, hearing Mukūrō's taunts, bore an annoyed look on his face. His eyes rolled before returning his gaze unto the strange man. "You sure like to speak a lot. Sure you can back it up?" he uttered, unsheathing his blade from his scabbard. He swung it in the air, before the single blade became thousands. Day turned into night, with the moon donning the sun's golden color and heat. "True power of a person is not their strength and skill, but the power that none can ever strip away. Their willpower. The power to endure and stand for what they believe in. When you trip them, they never cease to rise up and brush off the dust. You aren't much of a human, as I see, so I doubt you have ever experienced such power, Mukūrō-san." "What power are you talking about?" Mukūrō obliviously responded, sending out a shockwave of power that rendered the Genjutsu before him useless: all foreign chakra circulating in his primary chakra circulatory system had been expelled in but a moment. "Aren't much of a human, huh?" Mukūrō sighed at the statement and began to think to himself: "Is it always going to be like this?" Looking up at the sky, uncaring for the opponent before him, Mukūrō closed his eyes and reminisced over the sayings of a close friend. "But...what's wrong with being a monster? Humanity has been defined by acts that are considered monstrous since the beginning of history." Mukūrō opened his eyes again, looking at his opponent with some disdain. "Don't speak to me as if you understand my resolve with a glance, Heiwa Uchiha." Mukūrō told him impassively, his sword pointing directly to Heiwa's position. "Your eyes will never see through me." While saying this, Mukūrō's eyes were totally focused on Heiwa's sword, completely avoiding the man's eyes despite his bold claims: for practical reasons, of course. Mukūrō sheathed his blade once more, concentrating on the sword while he bent his knees slightly. His body suddenly flared with an incredible volume of chakra that prompted him to lean forward slightly and use his feet to push off the ground. The culminating force caused the ground beneath him and behind him to erupt in debris. At the same moment his feet moved, Mukūrō drew his blade with momentum-enhanced speed with the intent of bifurcating Heiwa using a diagonal slash that would cut from his waist upwards. In a blur, the distance between the two adversaries was covered, all thanks to Mukūrō's impeccable speed. Less than a moment later, the sound of metal grippling each other could be heard between the two, as during that instant, Heiwa had unleashed his own blade from its scabbard to clash with that of his opponents, credit to his cursed eyes. "I know far more than you know, Mukūrō. A person close to my heart possessed what is worse than the appearance of a demon. He bore the heart of one. He who bears the mask too long becomes it. I do not wish that for you too..." he uttered as the two were separated by their weapons. "I may not see through you with these eyes, but I don't need to. Beneath that... shell of a human being, I see a man trying to show the world he exists. A man who is desperate to validate his existence and his purpose in life." a genuine smile graced his lips. "Within you, I see my little brother, Mukūrō-san... However, your path is not one that I can change. You need someone else to give value to your existence..." Heiwa spoke in a calm tone, before he sent a surge of chakra unto his body, repelling himself a short distance away. "Believe it or not, your uncanny critique helped me garner something valuable..."
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