Acknowledgement (No kill)

To Kuro's surprise, Ukita listened, where others had ignored his ramblings. He grinned at that. It was nice to be taken seriously for once, instead of made out to be a joke. He was a war machine, a weapon, the ULTIMATE weapon, and yet... in the end he was a joke. Not because he was weak, oh certainly not, but because he never really did his own things. He always let someone else boss him around but... he liked it that way. Sure, he was a genius, constantly thinking, but in a way, it was similar to taking a rest after physical labor. It was comforting knowing he would only have simple tasks to do, instead of the mundane and droll work that required tedious but lengthy processes. Even better, he did not have to think in any particular way. In this sense, when working under another... he was unlimited. Completely unlimited, and even more free than when he worked for himself. 

Kuro grinned at the questions. "Personally Ive always wondered why no one ever asks that... Well you see I developed a way to alter my own genetic code, and rewrite a bloodline into my body. Like I said, Born Kaguya, gained many others later in life. My favorite remains my original, as no one has ever broken one of my bones before. Especially when I can do this." A strange armor seemed to spring up all over Kuro's body, not covering everything, but still there. It seemed as if it was designed for intimidation and  pure attacks. What Ukita probably didnt know was that Kaguya had bones directly under their skin, all over their body. This meant that if someone were to attack his body at the moment, the attack would be absolutely fucking useless. 

Kuro frowned at the noise. Who the hell was calling out to him? Who did they think they were? Kuro stood up, wordlessly, knowing that Ukita would likely follow. He merely stuck his head out the door, and said the most frightening thing he could say. "Hi. Wanna be friends?" The smile on his face seemed to be genuine, but with his reputation it was likely perceived as a threat. No, it was DEFINITELY perceived as a threat, thanks to the ninja who had been around Kaigen running away screaming like girls. Yeah, he had that effect on people. "Now then..." His voice resumed its normal demonic tone. "Why did they call you Shikyo?" It was obvious, thanks to the fact that the idiots who had yelled at the boy had also surrounded him. Of course, Kuro considered chasing after them and beating them to death with the child, but he was curious, much more so than his sadism. Why had they called this boy Shikyo? His parents were dead, he knew that. It was possible he was a cousin or something, but WHY would he be in Kumo? Had he heard of Kurokon Shikyo? It was possible, and somewhat likely. On the other hand, if the boy got confused, it showed he had the social life of Gollum, or had recently just been hatched. That was how Shikyos were made! Well, not literaly. If that was true, they would have had to sacrifice a village of angels to bring out the demon that was Kurokon Shikyo... though he was actually pretty nice as a kid, always wanting to help, always being nice. He kinda missed it...

You know even though this was the perfect timing for a fight, a quick thought popped through Kaigen head briefly thinking. You know … Doing crazy shit like this I’ll never get a girlfriend. But he slid a little to the left and then to the right ready for one of them to swing a punch or something out the ordinary so he could counter attack. But interference had come forth and actually and that was a sound of another. To Kaigen It seemed to be another patient but to everyone around him the feeling of fear was so strong Kaigen could almost taste it. 


They didn’t even think of putting up a fight or anything like that, they literally just ran … the ninjas, the doctors and hell even some of the patients just ran the opposite direction and in that moment of time Kaigen wasn’t trained as in assassin to fear so he was more curious then actually scared, if he knew what that feeling was at all.  The guy focused his attention on Kaigen, so there was no way around this event that was about to take place all that was known was the question that was ehoed through his head … asking of his birth name and the answer that could change everything .

“My name … is … Kaigen Shikyo …”

Ukita simply ignored the fact that Kuro ignored Ukita's second question-he knew his manners. Although Ukita almost wanted to try smashing Kuor's bones when he mentioned that no one had ever broken his bones-it seemed like a challenge, but on the flip side he did not want to even try as something about Kuro made him think that that would be a horrible, awful, painful idea. As Kuor made his way to the door to see what the commotion was Ukita followed out of morbid curiosity. Perhaps there was another girl crab walking up and down the walls-that would be rather entertaining to say the least. 

Alas Ukita's hopes were dashed when he poked his head out from behind where Kuro was poking his head out. It was only a boy-how boring. Naturally Kuro asked a question, but it seemed like one of those questions that was a  question within a question. Either way Ukita was interested to see how this would unfold, so he remained silent. The boy's name was Kaigen Shikyo-that meant very little to Ukita. Maybe were he paying attention in the academy he would have an inkling of what that meant, but alas not. So, for now, he waited to see what would happen.

Now usually, in a situation dealing with such a shocking revelation, Kuro would freeze for a second, or put it off until later. As it was, he asked the most intelligent thing possible. "Huh?" Kuro frowned in thought. His brother, Kaigen, as he would have been named, was said to have died. But then, in the same instance, Kuro knew his parents were pathological liars and assholes. It was likely since Kuro was so controlled in emotion, that the parents would want their next son to be the opposite. It wasnt exactly the most probable situation, but it was possible. Anne Frankly, it was the only one that made any sense, unless his parents had thought him dead. "God damnit, finding out you are alive after so many years, and you just HAD to do it RIGHT after I explained most of my life. Jeez, you have shit timing. Well, My name is Kurokon Shikyo. Apparently, you are my brother." Youd think Kuro would act more sensitive considering it was his own brother... actually, you really wouldnt. I think by now everyone has realized Kurokon is a sociopath only caring about a few people, has the emotional stability of an entire mental ward fused into one, and has the social skills of a starving lion. However, some people would never look beyond that, and what ungrateful shits they were. They would never see that Kuro deeply cared for his family. You know, before they died, surprisingly he hadnt caused that.

"Now..." Three black chairs formed from his shadows, solidifying into reality. He took a seat. "How about you two tell me your stories? Id love to know why the hell I didnt even know my brother was alive until today. Oh, but Id like to hear your story too Ukita." Look at that, a group of men standing around, talking. Damnit, he was an old man! When had this happened? He used to be such a radiating youth! Admittedly, what he radiated was fear, death, and pain. Loooooots of pain. God it was fun too. Like the time he made that depressed ninja suicide from misery. He did feel a bit bad about that though, seeing as he didnt do it himself. What was the point of death if he didnt get to cause it with his bare, and sometimes bear, hands? He still wasnt sure, but at least he tasted good. That was around the time he started cooking meat. Ah, memories. Normal people would never know just how fucking AWESOME it was to be insane. Those poor bastards!

{48+ hours...}

Ukita listened ever so carefully to what was going on...apparently Kuro and this kid were related. Was this a god damn soap opera or something? At this point he would not be surprised if Kuro's long lost lover appeared in the hospital. However, then it occurred to the young chuunin that Kuro would have probably killed his lover, so Ukita discounted the idea rather quickly. At this point three odd shadowy chairs appeared from thin air, which was a bit startling-not that Ukita showed it. He simply took a seat. Oddly enough, the boy, Kaigen, did nothing, but stay where he was. Not really caring what the boy did he listened to what Kuro asked. This guy seemed to really love stories. Either way Ukita had nothing better to do-on the bright side his stressed muscle fibers were starting to ache a lot less.

Now came the fun part: telling a story he never wanted to tell again. With a sigh Ukita began, slowly at first, but slowly gaining momentum as he talked: "Well I was born here in Kumogakure. I suppose you could say my childhood was a little less than perfect. Lets suffice to say they were raving drunks and gamblers, which is not the best combination. I grew up in a hostile and impoverished home. I was able to excel at the academy as I poured most of my time into it as an escape. So, at age seven I ran away to my grandfather's and I have lived there ever since. My parents died in the gutter: drunk and beaten by debtors-I don't even know when they died. It doesn't really matter either way. Well my grandfather trained me and still is training me in the use of the eight gates. More recently I discovered I am an Uchiha, which was a rather big shock as I have always been just 'Ukita Hideyasu' nothing more. And upon learning this I entered the chuunin exams and was able to come out on top, thus my current rank of chuunin. Well thats about it. Once I master the eight gates I plan to travel around a bit as it has always been a dream of mine." With that Ukita trailed off. It had been a long time since he had really thought about his life. It seemed so short and insignificant. All the same he sat and waited for a response from either Kuro or his supposed brother.

Kuro was vaguely surprised. Not because of Ukita's story, but because the fact that his brother was either shocked in silence, or just too damn lazy to say a word. Honestly, EVERYONE had some horrible past these days. That or it was some boring ass spoiled kid story. He rarely heard different, but it at least passed the time to hear stories. It also helped that he was one of the few who understood the phrase "I do what I do because Ive done what I did." He grinned at the boy. "traveling eh? Well, after this Ill probably be traveling for a while, if you feel like coming and training with me, Ill see about getting you a... what do they call it? Apprenticeship pass, yeah, lets you leave with me and train, since Im not technically part of the village, but still live and work inside it. Hard to explain really. Im like a missing ninja without a bounty, but closely tied to Kumo... Anywho, the offer is for both of ya. I should warn you though, my training will NOT be easy." With that statement a change that should never happen took place. Kuro's normally carefree grin turned into an emotionless mask, one that did not belong on his face. Not that anyone could REALLY tell, I mean, he wore an entire face mask, leaving only his eyes visible. 

Regardless of the lack of visual change, his voice lowered and hardened, showing he was serious. "I will train you into the ground, and you will die if you dont get back up. I can teach you almost anything, I can show you the world's laws, the physics of the world, everything... but I cannot teach people unwilling to learn. If you decided to come with me, you will become strong or die trying. I do not slow down, and I do not hold back. Oh make no mistake, I fully expect you to fall to the ground, but when you do, I also expect you to get back up and show me who you are. I want to see your will, I want to see your power, and I want to see you further yourself from weakness. Become strong, erase your fears, and learn to grow. That is what I expect. I wont send you on easy missions, nor will I send you on errands. I will make sure you get important tasks that will challenge you and make you grow." Kuro's grin and light hearted voice returned. "I will not just be your teacher, Ill be your master, and you would be my apprentice... what do you say?" In all honesty, he expected one of them to deny. However, Ukita mentioned the eight gates, which, as a medical and taijutsu master, Kuro knew took some damn advanced training. He had will on his side, and the strength to fight, but would he? As for Kaigen, he had little doubt that if the boy shared any genes with Kuro that he would accept. Shikyos never fell back from a challenge.

Kaigen Shikyo stood in silence as he stared at his older brother; I mean can you truly blame him? He was in a bit of a stepping stone moment to meet a brother he never knew he actually had was pretty major – One moment he was running through the hospital trying to escape very rough holding special ops medical ninjas and now he is standing in front of a man who was able to terrify the whole building. Kaigen eyes shifted to the side to see the other guy, some random guy who was probably Kurokon lacky or something of the sorts but oh he was kinda wrong when ya think about it. Kaigen heard the boy talk, didn’t interrupt or think much of it as Kaigen thought short and simple: 






Kumogakure ninja born and raised. Kaigen knew nothing of the Uchiha clan so he didn’t care much for it and didn’t pay attention; his eyes were fixed on the figure known as Kurokon Shikyo. The man with the mask began to speak, his older brother was actually so far out of his league Kaigen could feel it and it made him feel like it actually was his older brother – The offer came of becoming a student, a apprentice of his own caliber and explaining the benefits and bad things of going under his wing. It was a lot too think about for the other guy probably in Kaigen mind. But in Kaigen opinion, it was one step closer to being around his older brother because if not he probably would never see him again. He couldn’t let that happen, besides he harbors extreme hatred for this village and if sticking with Kurokon means he can leave its one of his chances. Kaigen nods at Kurokon and bows.





“It would be an Honor! Kurokon Sensei!” He was being dead ass serious, he was brand new to Ninjutsu, having a proper sensei, and plain being a ninja … he was trained a assassin I don’t know what to tell you …

As Ukita finished speaking he listened to what Kuro had to say. Apparently the man was planning on traveling as well, which was a strange coincidence. However, that was not the most interesting idea Kuro presented: he offered to give Ukita and Kaigen an apprenticeship. Upon first thinking about the idea it sounded almost too good to be true. Ukita had always wanted see the world and this was the perfect opportunity. he had never known anything outside of Kumogakure and this would be his chance to go where he had never gone before. However, then it hit him: he would be leaving the only place he had ever known for god knows where. He may never come back to his home in the clouds. It was this thought that scared him ever so slightly.

Though, oddly enough, as Kuro continued to speak, in a more  stern sharp voice than before, Ukita started to warm up to the idea. From what Kuro said it sounded like the training would be brutal, but the rewards would be great. It was then that the gears in Ukita's head started to turn. Perhaps it would be beneficial to go on a journey. It would no doubt make him stronger, which was something that Ukita would be doing in the village anyway, so why not travel and become stronger? Upon putting it into those terms it felt like a rather simple answer to Kuro's many questions: an unequivocal yes.

It would seem that Kaigen was first to answer, which brought Ukita's attention to the younger boy once again. He knew nothing about the boy, which was slightly unsettling. Then again how could he expect to when they had only just met? All the same it made Ukita feel a bit odd. It would take some time to get used to working with people. He was used to going solo and doing everything himself. Maybe it would be a learning experience in more ways than one? Teamwork was never a strong spot of of his, but this journey would no doubt remedy that. So, about thirty seconds seconds after Kaigen finished agreeing to go with Kuro Ukita spoke up after contemplating for a short bit with a sly half smile on his face: "When do we leave?" Ukita's answer should be a fairly obvious sign of acceptance of Kuro's offer at apprenticeship. Ukita was just not one for formalities-they were...well they were often useless. he knew what respect was and would most certainly show it to Kuro, but he was not about to suck up to Kuro or try to flatter him with "honors" and such.

Not many could say they had impressed Kuro. It was a very hard thing to do. However, the two answers showed both respect and pride. They had realized something no one else would have. They were respectful because they both knew his power, but they were also aware he had chosen them for reasons. He could see the glint in both there eyes. Pride, strength, whatever you want to call it. To Kuro, it was willpower. The will to move forward, to better oneself, taking all the hatred, pain, and disgust aimed at oneself, and turning that into strength. That was a great thing for both of them to have. Kuro respected that. He rarely saw those eyes. The eyes of a true warrior, a being like no other. He was one of the few, sure, but to find two more and gain apprentices? That was perfect. In truth, Kuro had always wanted apprentices, or even just a gennin team, but with his duties as Minatsuki's bodyguard/slave/whatthefuckeverhewastoher, he didnt have time. Now though, as disturbing as that train of thought was, he was free. At least her death had meant one good thing. While he enjoyed serving her, it was often lonely, and boring. Not many were stupid enough to attack either of them, so he rarely got any real action. Now? Now he could travel the world at a moment's notice. 

Kuro's grin would not be erased by the memories, only strengthened. He would not regret his past, only look for the future. There was no strength to be gained in misery. "We leave soon, after my body adapts to this new implant, and I get papers from the Raikage... though Kurisu might not be hard to convince." The last part was said with a slight frown, which nearly instantly turned back into a grin. "Which means we should leave earlier, unless I missed something by being here so long. Hell I could have missed Kurisu getting a new raikage to replace him by this point. Been in surgery for a while, and they were prepping me for a while." He mused. Not that Kurisu would EVER do such a thing. He'd do that the same time that that he gave up Jack Daniel's. It was like a law of physics, Kurisu doesnt give up Jack Daniel's. Not to anyone. He'd sooner give up LRA.

Kuro coughed. "well, in any case, I believe that traveling should not be a problem. However, we will need time to prepare, so I suspect a good two or three days to pack up and make sure everything is taken care of before we leave. I should warn you, any grudges you have should be dealt with before we leave, as we likely wont come back for months, possibly even longer. Now, as for what I will train you in... everything. Every skill you have, every doubt in your mind, every hope you have, every single thing. I will show you what it means to be the best, and what it means to truly be great. Do not doubt that..." Kuro grinned. "But, since I have missed so much, anything happen specifically while I was in here?"