Not Your Regular Garden Snail

Ski Hoshigaki had revealed his true nature as a Jinchūriki to the entire world when he'd fought Amari Uchiha in the Chūnin Exams some years prior as he'd borrowed heavily of Saiken's power to compete against his more skilled adversary, since then though his talents had virtually exploded to Shigeo Uchiha's knowledge, after all, he had received direct training from the most powerful shinobi in the world if Kumogakure's foreign intelligence department was to be believed. Shigeo had observed that battle through the eyes of a woman spellbound by Inari and so he had an idea of just what kind of shinobi Ski was, though his abilities had undoubtedly vastly increased in the time since then.

Despite being a member of the ANBU Black Ops Shigeo found himself working alone on this case, the simple truth of the matter was that Genjutsu was by far the most efficient way to deal with a Jinchūriki such as Ski and the most powerful tools in his arsenal were sadly poorly suited for teamwork, the Unknown Fire would spell doom for anyone working alongside him if they so much as glanced in its general direction.

The mission was simple, Shigeo Uchiha was to capture Ski Hoshigaki and bring him back to Kumogakure where the Tailed Beast inside him would be unsealed and placed inside a new host loyal to the village. It was a common enough procedure as far as Jinchūriki were concerned. It was for this very reason that Shigeo presently found himself on the outer reaches of the Land of Water tailing his quarry who'd been sent by the council of elders to quell a rebellion, an endeavour in which he had naturally succeeded. Yet even in that mission, Shigeo had been a looming presence. He had ensured that the other members of the team that followed Ski into battle had met unfortunate ends by some way or another, never directly by Shigeo's hand but rather by employing Inari to kill the first Jōnin in a suicide bombing that could reasonably be chalked up to a desperate act of patriotism. He'd quietly disposed of the other by poison.

Consequently, Ski, much like Shigeo himself would find himself completely alone on his way back from the mission, and en route, Shigeo had laid an elaborate trap that consisted of three sets of drawn strings each tied to a specially prepared urn that served as a temporary and easily breakable Fuinjutsu vessel containing a large amount of the blue flames of Shiranui; which had been imbued with a powerful illusion that would produce the horrific sensation of Ski's entire body aside from his head melting away to immobilize him - including his eyelids of course. It was a three-fold trap for all that was required for the flames to work their genjutsu was a simple cursory glance in their general direction, a natural inclination when it concerned traps. Whether it was triggered deliberately at a range, or by accident by tripping over any of the wires the result would be that an urn fell from the treetops and shattered, spreading a large amount of the flames across the forest floor where they could begin to propagate and spread.

With this Shigeo hoped to catch him unaware at once, and gain a massive advantage that he could exploit to attain a swift victory that he might seal by rushing downwards and meeting Ski's eyes with his own while he was helpless from the first spell.

Ski jumped from tree to tree as he desperately attempted to return to Kirigakure; he was no elite-shinobi, by far, at least not in his eyes, but he was certain that there was something happening here. This rebellion should have been easy to conquer, and it was, but all his squad mates had been silenced. Part of him pondered whether it was the council attempting to return Saiken to their hold. Maybe they had finally discovered Fuyuki’s plans for them, and so they sent him on a mission that would result in his death. He did not have time to ponder such thoughts, though.

He had to make sure that he was not next in line to meet his demise. He had to return to Fuyuki, otherwise his brother would be next; otherwise his family would be persecuted for his failure. He wanted them to live a life of luxury. That was what convinced him to keep going.

“Wire.”

“Wire?”

Ski looked up momentarily, noticing the thin line of wire that was elegantly placed in his path forward. He somersaulted forward, making sure to dodge the wire, just by a brief hair of his flesh. That was close, and that was why he could not ponder on what was, or what will be. He had to focus on what was now, and what was now was that someone, or something, was attempting to have him meet the same end of his own teammates.

What followed next was a flash of metal as a flurry of shuriken were hurled towards Ski at great speeds, yet before making contact they swerved in mid-air before colliding with one another and ricochetted off into the treetops where they struck the previously places jars that Ski had so avoided so meticulously by seeing through the trap. What followed was the sound of four jars shattering simultaneously as they violently expelled their contents into the evening air.

The Unknown Fire was as always a spectacle as it blossomed from its confines in slow-motion setting treetops and grassland alight in eldritch blue flames that sought to ensnare the mind and torment the spirit. Each jar had been positioned so that they would in unison block out most avenues of immediate escape and hopefully ensure that Ski would fall victim to the powerful genjutsu of at least one of them should the Jinchūriki's eyes even briefly linger upon them. It was the still the same illusion as the one originally cast, yet due to Shigeo's sheer mastery in Genjutsu, the horror would repeat itself once in Ski's mind to make the trauma all the more powerful. His mindscape would split in twain and he'd experience all four of his limbs burning away into nothing leaving only his disembodied head and lidless eyes in a state of utter helplessness. Afterwards, the scene would reverse and play again as Shigeo's prowess was such that he could manipulate his victim's perception of time within his own illusions although the extent to which he might do so depended upon the strength of the illusion in the first place.

Shigeo knew better than most that Jinchūriki had a higher than average ability to resist genjutsu, particularly if they'd achieved some level of harmony with their Tailed Beast so whatever the result he emerged swiftly from his hiding place and lunged forwards, his form melting away into the air as he sought to rush down Ski, seize him by the chin and force their eyes to meet while the first illusion was still in effect.

In this manner, he sought to layer an additional genjutsu above the first as the spells cast by his eyes were overwhelmingly more powerful than those transmitted through the Unknown Fire. This one was two-fold however and rather than attempt to seize upon Ski twice he sought to affect both Saiken and Ski once each; and for both the illusion would be the same - that of being skewered by a hundred black swords emerging from within their own subconsciousness and thus incapacitate them and temporarily sever the connection between host and Tailed Beast to hopefully ensure Shigeo's success.

The moment that the fire jars dropped onto the earth, Ski could not help but glance, and that very glance was nothing but a mistake. He could feel the very illusion wrapping away at his appendages, but there was no doubt in his mind that this was genjutsu. The way that the air moved, the very weight of gravity itself; it was all very, very meticulously made, making it nearly impossible to identify differently, but there was this undeniable imperfection about it all. It was human-made, and therefore there was human error involved.

However, the strength of the illusion, and its grasp that it had over him was powerful. Even though he was aware of it, he could not grasp how to break its control over him. He could not even form the hand signs necessary to channel his chakra; he needed to do something…. something….so he did.

He inhaled deeply, as if he had just been stripped from a nightmare, only to see the culprit directly in front of him, staring deep into his abyss; red eyes…the same as Amari.

Ski clutched his bruised-like finger.

Shigeo's hand clutched the hilt of his most prized possession, Muramasa, already he was channelling the essence of Kagero Uchiha, a proud woman whose only desire was to see to the protection of her village a true patriot and friend to all; her wishes influenced his own even if unknowingly so and coloured Shigeo's consciousness with similar desires. It softened his heart just slightly, even as it hardened his resolve and it resonated with his truest self, the one he had buried deep underneath several layers of Genjutsu in the past. Indeed, Shigeo and Kagero had so much in common, and the twenty years that they'd shared together still warmed his heart and were always pronounced in his memories. Even if it was only in the world of Tsukuyomi; just because their decades-long friendship and camaraderie and the stories that followed had all been conjured from a mighty illusion of Shigeo's creation did not necessarily mean that it wasn't real, right?

The Jinchūriki had been caught in his Genjutsu, both of them in fact, he had never dared to hope that his quarry would be snared in both of his traps but he supposed that whomever his teacher had been that the illusory arts had not featured prominently in his lessons, or perhaps he'd merely ignored them. His spells were successful and the power that resided in his eyes was such that his quarry would likely be tormented for most of their battle unless he could find some extraordinary means of breaking the enthrallment, nevertheless, the Tailed Beast seemed to be bound. Ordinarily, Shigeo would've sought to end the battle then and there, that was what would be expected of him after all but something stopped him, namely the lingering presence of Kagero Uchiha who had rather despised such simple tactics, hers had been a life chasing spectacle after all.

Really she had been an awful shinobi, one that rarely hid or sought to attack from stealth, a woman of conscience and honour, moreso a Samurai than a Ninja in retrospect. Shigeo would have no true concept of what he was doing, not really, it was the subtle power of Omoikane acting against him as he stepped backwards and away from Ski to draw his blade as if challenging him to honourable combat as a fellow swordsman. It was bizarre, to put it mildly.

When he finally drew Muramasa the scenery changed once again as he heard his familiar whisper echo in the back of his mind, breaking him out of Kagero's trance and jolting awake his memory of the mission he was to perform. He looked stunned for a moment as he could not for the life of him remember why he'd not completed his mission when his target was fully entranced and wasted valuable time drawing his blade instead, this was not proper conduct, shinobi were not supposed to act like this. Omoikane had seemed flawless at first, but when he used it to act it seemed to act upon Shigeo as well.

Shigeo's mouth opened as he uttered words that were not his own: "*Let me drink from your vessel you sweet little morsel.*" It was none other than Muramasa himself who spoke from the powerful connection established when he drew the blade, indeed, that was also its curse for now it would refuse to be sheathed until quenched in blood. Aside from its more overt qualities the ruthless nature of the former war criminal wormed its way into Shigeo's psyche and merged with both that of Kagero's essence and his own buried emotions to form a composite personality that did not belong to either of them.

This persona was ruthless but also possessing a certain streak of nobility, mixed with the pragmatism of a true shinobi to become the spirit of a true soldier, nothing more and nothing less. Muramasa's black blade suddenly burst alight into eldritch tongues of blue fire, the flames danced in slow-motion for they were the fires of Shiranui itself that sought to crash against Ski's mind and bring it crumbling down so that he might safely be abducted; should the boy glance at the flames it would produce a sensation akin to having been pierced by a thousand flaming arrows. It was all achieved by channelling his Chakra Flow through the weapon which it only took too readily to given its creation. Then Shigeo lunged forwards and closed the distance between himself and his foes as he sought to plunge it into Ski's side and corrupt his mind and poison it with this final Genjutsu of his even as the blade harmed him in a more direct fashion.

Ski knew he could not open his eyes, not against this opponent. Although Amari had not used Genjutsu in their battle, he was aware of the powers that the Uchiha possessed. They could entrap their enemies in powerful illusions that could render them unconscious for days at a time. If he got entrapped in another one, even he knew that he would be left to the fate of another man. But what was the medium that this man used? What had Shigeo unveiled to his senses that allowed him to possess him in the first place? He had to think.

He could feel Shigeo’s thrust. Although he could not see it, he had long since learned to use his other senses, in part due to the beast within. As he grew as a Jinchuriki, and a vessel for its power, he became more aware of its existence. He grew to adopt features of the Six Tails; learning to harness its chakra as his own, as well as its senses in extension of his. Perhaps that was the union the Hoshigaki elders spoke of. They had told him stories of former Jinchuriki losing themselves to the beast. Some went berserk from its power, and others were subject to its influence, as if they were mindless beast.

Whatever it was, Ski knew that their minds were beginning to merge, and that their wills became ever-so-connected. Regardless, he was grateful for its strength, and for its senses. It would save him now.

As Shigeo thrust forward, Ski established his pivot foot, and unsheathed his katana, slamming it directly against his blade with the fullest of his force, parrying the blade with his superior swordsmanship. Shigeo was surely an accomplished kenjutsu-user, but there was something in his grip that he revealed his inexperience, at least regarding Ski. As he parried, intent on catching Shigeo off balance, he reversed the grip of his katana, seamlessly transitioning into his next motion with the fluidity of a calm liquid.

By relying on the pivot foot he established to propel him forward slightly, he lunged and swung his blade horizontally, aimed towards Shigeo’s chest.

The moment their blades met Shigeo could already distinctly feel the sheer difference in skill, to most he was a skilled swordsman and he prided himself on that fact but ultimately his sword was but a means to an end, Muramasa might be his weapon but it's use paled in comparison to that of a true master and it would seem that he had had the misfortune of meeting just that. Shigeo's basic thrust, though made with expertise was ultimately pointless against Ski. At once he found himself at a disadvantage as Ski not only expertly parried his attack but counterattacked at precisely the perfect moment and under those circumstances, all Shigeo could do was shift his body backwards as his Sharingan read and deciphered Ski's movements in slow-motion and in so doing it showed Shigeo the sheer extent of his mistakes and burned them into his memory, the blade bit into his chest and traced a perfect cut across his torso which he knew would definitely leave a scar, his clothes were soon stained with his blood.

He'd managed to minimize the damage somewhat but the injury was greater than he'd expected, it was plain to see that Kagero Uchiha's lingering sense of sportsmanship had dealt him a grievous blow; it would be unwise for him to continue facing Ski in open combat, for it would seem that even though Saiken lied bound in chains in his subconsciousness that he remained capable of defending himself. So this was what it meant to face a true Jinchuriki.

Shigeo's form dematerialized in mid-air as he made several meters worth of distance, plunged Muramasa into the ground and performed the Ram and Tiger Hand Seals in immediate succession, as the flames of Shiranui that had now spread from their original position flourished while they fought, it was now ripe for the taking and no sooner had he made the Tiger Seal than blue flames leapt up into the air and rushed around him forming ten rotating fireballs in front of him that soon regained their vibrant orange hue. Then the heavens leapt into action unseen by Ski Hoshigaki as an enormous fireball large enough to spread across a distance of approximately thirty meters in every direction materialized out of thin air and began to plummet towards the battlefield at a frightening pace to engulf all creatures within its radius. Although merely a Genjutsu it was of a different sort as this one targetted an entire area, subjecting everyone within its borders to its effect. It was touch-based meaning that the effect would take place when the illusion itself reached Ski and Shigeo, much like any ordinary technique. Regretfully its effect was indiscriminate, and Shigeo would fall under his own illusion when it landed. Shigeo's psyche was powerful however and he could endure its effect however unpleasantly, he assumed that Ski Hoshigaki couldn't considering Shigeo's earlier ambush but he'd already been wrong once.

To that end, his hand shot out to grab his blade while his free hand focused on manipulating the ten fireballs that circled in a wheel in front of him, unlike most Ninjutsu this one lasted for a significant duration and the flames could be remotely directed by gestures formed by a single hand which made it perfect as a supplement to his Kenjutsu. He blitzed towards Ski as he tried to box him in with four fireballs launched in immediate succession towards the teenager from different angles, the difference in speed between them was not particularly great but it was far easier to move unchallenged when his opponent had blinded himself; he made certain to keep his blade at the ready and his Sharingan focused on him. His goal was less so to harm Ski directly than to prevent him from the leaving the area until the illusion above descended and snuffed out his consciousness.

Ski could feel the weight of the illusion bearing down above him, just as he could hear the fireballs wisping into existence around Shigeo, and just as he could spatially perceive the world around him as ideally as anyone could. What he obtained from Saiken’s psyche was truly outstanding, yet it was refined and controlled through his own individual practice. There was no doubt about that; this was his skill. However, right now, he wanted to use Saiken’s.

“Saiken….”

There was absolutely no response as Ski called out to his Tailed Beast. Perhaps it was ignoring him again. It had its moment of hubris, but fights were typically where it would try to tempt Ski to use its powers, as that would be the opportune moment for the demon to escape. Yet, there was nothing.

“SAIKEN!” Ski called out again, his tone slightly more desperate.

He was pulled into his own mindscape. It was a massive library of a sort, filled with shelves of books that were organized by type. It was unusual, but Ski knew that this reflected his consciousness. It was why sections of the library were designated to books about his childhood memories, and stories of his siblings. These were all his experiences. Each book represented something different, and because of that some were vastly larger than the other, whereas others were small.

He was usually free to walk throughout this library, which he did, and followed it to the location where Saiken usually lay. It was a massive corridor in the very back of the information center, protected by an unusually large door. Yet, as he approached, the door was chained. He lay his eyes on it, and intuitively knew as the red eyes of the Uchiha manifested. He broke away from his mindscape.

“He’s restraining Saiken?!” Ski addressed out loud this time, his tone expressing his confusion and surprise. He had heard of beings existing that could willfully contain the powers of the Nine Beast, but to think that the Uchiha were one of them! It made him wonder whether Amari allowed him to use his powers so long ago. Was he toying with him all along?

There was no time for thoughts.

Ski had to focus. He had to do it without Saiken.

He slammed his hands on the ground, and channeled his chakra into it, summoning forth massive walls of earth that sought to encase his frame in its protection. This was one of the first earth-style techniques that Ski had even begun to learn, and it seemed that it was the fundamentals which would prove instrumental to him again. Regardless, this would do nothing except protect him from Shigeo’s blitz. He would still need to do something about the illusion, yet as he broke away Shigeo’s vision of him, he could finally feel safe to open his eyes. That would be instrumental.

“Wisdom Wolf Decay!” Ski uttered under his breath, focusing the extent of his chakra to the pores of his hands, as the acidic liquid began ripping through his gloves together, and into the earth. It gushed forward like a spill and began corroding the earth itself with its strength. As quickly as the liquid etched into the earth, it retreated further downwards, turning Ski into a makeshift drill as he burrowed through the earth, obscured from sight.
If he could not escape from the surface, he was intent on doing some from the underground.

When the walls of earth formed around his quarry, boxing him away, Shigeo's thoughts immediately fell to his previous conflict with Shimizu Matsumura and how he'd underestimated him then and allowed him to steal the prize away from right under his nose and Shigeo was determined not to let that happen a second time. There was no time for idle thoughts and base attacks however as the great fireball descended and caused his mind to reel in agony before he hastily undid his own genjutsu through astoundingly precise Chakra Control alone. Then he did something that he did only rarely and awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Shigeo's eyes changed as his chakra reserves decreased notably at the mere activation of his Mangekyo Sharingan and it would decrease more yet as Shigeo did something he hardly ever did and that was to use its power directly for more than just Omoikane, shadows lengthened around the shinobi as the lurid dancing lights cast by Shiranui seemed to halt and grow dim as a miasma of deepest indigo seeped from every pore of Shigeo's body and coalesced into a spectral skeleton that fully encased the man and was then surrounded by layers of muscle until it resembled a gaunt humanoid that was nothing but a disembodied muscular torso with forked arms.

Muramasa dispersed from Shigeo's hands and was reforged in the grip of his Susanoo it an extremely long blade that burned with distinct monochrome flames as the power of his blade was fully revealed thanks to the awakening of the Mangekyo. The World of Darkness that normally only existed in Shigeo's Tsukuyomi began infecting the world in that very instant like a looming horror, spreading outwards in a ripple from the base of the construct and stripping the surrounding landscape of all colour except blacks and greys. It rushed outwards and should it reach Ski it would lessen his movements, make him the least version of himself that he could possibly be a sluggish and lethargic creature whose every motion stretched into tens of seconds until he could fully escape the confines of its darkness which seeped down into nooks and crannies wherever it might find them and would certainly have no issues slithering into his little hole.

The summoner of this monstrosity was currently quivering upon all four within the chakra construct panting madly in strain and agony, clutching his eyes as if they were about to fall out as they throbbed and burned in his head; in fact, his entire body hurt like it was being punctured continuously by thousands of tiny daggers over and over again, it was a true trial even to stand upright but as he did he willed the construct to move and move it did. It raised its massive sword overhead and brought it down in a clean arc that split the offending barrier of earth erected by Ski as though it wasn't even there and pulverized its remains even as it flattened surrounding parts of the woodland, its power could not be denied and it pressed onwards with purpose as through some means or other Shigeo stumbled forwards like a dying man. The Susanoo lumbered forwards and by moving it stretched the darkness ahead and made it more likely to reach Ski and slow his progress to a halt.

Shigeo's eyes searched madly for him and he found him easily enough underground through the visual prowess of his Sharingan from that vantage point of focus he directed his attention upon his silhouette as his eyes began to spin in a maddening dance while his Susanoo raised its blade again and sought to pierce it through the earth and impale Ski through his side; dealing damage not merely through its strength but also by way of the fell curse that lingered upon Muramasa itself, which would transmit the Genjutsu of Shiranui directly through his body.

Finally, Shigeo was aware that his time was limited so remotely he sought to place another spell upon his foe through the opening provided by his Susanoo. One that did not require direct eye contact but merely continuous focus, chakra issued into Shigeo's eyes as they continued spinning and the moment that Ski would come into clear view for some reason or other, such as the ground being split by the strike from his Susanoo he'd seek to implant a mighty genjutsu directly into Ski where he'd once again be assailed by black chains emerging from all around him and impaling him dozens of times in quick succession before being repeated. It would definitely be overkill in this situation but he could not permit Ski to escape, he had already failed one mission, after all, this was his chance to make proper amends for that mistake!

Ski continued burrowing underground like a mole, churning through the earth as if he were a knife cutting through hot butter. Such was the strength of his acid, and that was through the continuous practice and mastery of his Tailed Beast’s powers. However, as he continued forward, turning randomly in effort to escape the area, he was smitten in the back by a familiar energy; another one of Shigeo’s illusion?!

The world around him darkened, morphing into a horrendous contrast of black of white colors that seemingly ripped the world of life itself. Had the illusion from earlier reached him? No. That one had a different weight; a different vibe to it. This was something different, and something new. If his illusions could delve into the depths of the earth and reach him, there was no way he was safe down here, especially if he could not see the illusions being cast. He needed to even the odds, and desperately.

Yet, as he continued moving, he could feel how sluggish his frame was, and how sluggish his movements were. He did not feel weaker, just slower, as if his body were moving through rivers of molasses and syrup. That must have been the current effect of the illusion he cast, which meant that there was something set up next, for certain. However, even his senses were slower, which was why he barely detected the Shigeo’s sword digging into the earth itself.
He would not be able to dodge quickly enough. There was simply no way for him to do so, at least not without the assistance of another technique. Sure, maybe something from above the earth, but he had to take his chances. There was simply no other option. If he was smitten here, from the sheer pressure that his attack emanated, there was no way that he would survive to continue fighting.

He bit his lip and cast the necessary hand seal, focusing the chakra throughout his body, and exploding from its place, at the speeds he normally traveled, leaving nothing but a slight flicker in its place. He bulldozered through the earth, slamming through the concrete headfirst as he appeared.

He looked upwards towards the sky briefly, the black and white sky. Then, it turned red.

Ski exhaled deeply as he tried his best to focus on something other than the pain of spiked chains drilling through his bare flesh.

Then, it all went black….

The Uchiha Clansman's knees buckled in relief as the tremendous burden that was his Susanoo dispersed into flickering wisps of indigo, although Shigeo Uchiha had many strengths he had possessed a particularly strong lifeforce and his health wasn't that good either and he was sometimes rendered bedridden for days after contracting some fever or other. It always ended up causing his lover, Eichiro Raigo a great deal of worry.

It was the height of irony that even though he'd trained extensively to master Susanoo precisely to overcome his poor constitution and susceptibility to damage merely employing it was torture in and of itself and ended up testing his endurance almost to the breaking point whenever he employed it. Truly, his was a cursed clan and the Mangekyō Sharingan was an embodiment of that loathsome existence. Fate had made a mockery of him it would seem by giving the one man who least desired it the power that his clan so exalted, but then again his clanmates were fools for the most part who revelled in their prowess of their Sharingan which although a tool of great power in the right hands was also conversely one that invited indolence of the foolish. Rather than master it many of his clanmates allowed it to master *them* and reduce them to base copycats.

As the last vestiges of the Susanoo dissipated the eldritch blade it held vanished as well and Muramasa once again appeared in Shigeo's hand with a hiss of disappointment. It had not yet tasted blood and it would refuse to be sheathed until then and so Shigeo grimaced as he turned the weapon upon himself, slicing it across his palm as it dug deeper than it needed to and drank heartily of his blood; as it did his body seemingly caught for a moment as he was subjected to its genjutsu which he hastily dispelled.

He walked over to the limp form of Ski Hoshigaki and briefly noted how young he was; when he took this boy back to Kumogakure he would almost certainly be killed and Saiken sealed into a young child of his village. It was a cruel thing to be made a Jinchuriki, he had protested strongly when Amari Uchiha had been chosen. Indeed this thing might very well happen to Amari one day and the thought produced a sense of overwhelming grief in the pit of his stomach and as always such thoughts threatened to derail his mission but that simply could not be allowed, the needs of the village far outweighed his own.

Shigeo Uchiha's conscience had plagued him ever since he became an ANBU, but he had found ways to cope and that was chiefly through an object he always carried on his person that he now retrieved. It was a simple mirror, and he held it up so that he could see his own eyes and turned the power of the greatest Uchiha in the world upon himself and through the power of self-hypnosis he banished every sentiment and obstructing emotion from his mind before reaching down and prying Ski's eyes open so that he could lay his curse upon the boy, afterwards Shigeo began the process of transporting his quarry all the way to Kumogakure.