Samsara (Natsu/Seiryu)

Natsu found himself at the Valley of the End while under the shroud of nighttime, quietly moving through the trees with nary a sound. At this point, enough time had passed since Hiroshi's death supposedly at the hands of Seiryu Hyuuga that Natsu could move a little more freely. He'd been essentially cut off from contacting his master by the ANBU Commander Sayuri who very much seemed to be taking a "trust but verify" approach in dealing with him, but now he'd finally gained the wiggle room to contact his master. In truth, Natsu had never actually tried to reach out to Lord Seiryu at night like this and was a bit curious if his spy network in the Village was as good as he claimed.

Of course, Lord Seiryu was an unrivaled genius deserving of only his utmost respect. On an intellectual level, Natsu understood that of course his secret spy network would be on the lookout for him at all times. On an emotional level, something about it didn't quite add up but his place was not to question. Besides gathering intel, watching for Natsu's comings and goings so Lord Seiryu could be alerted of his apprentice's desire to meet seemed to be their main job at this point. Of course, Natsu was not so arrogant as to think that he could simply call upon his master willy-nilly. The chance that Lord Seiryu didn't show up definitely existed, but Natsu had a good feeling about tonight.

Arriving again at the place where his eyes were truly opened to the Village's machinations against him, Natsu snuck towards the trees behind one of the statues to get out of the open and sat down on a boulder to begin the process of waiting and meditation before he gave his report on the current state of his position. Maybe if he was lucky, Lord Seiryu would decide to teach him a new technique or share some more of his gathered lore.

Seiryu appeared in his usual manner, emerging from the shadows of the ancient trees that flanked the notorious valley. His presence unmistakable by this point, inspiring awe and dread in equal measure. Something had the elder Hyuuga in a good mood it seemed. His machinations were moving forward seemingly without incident, and if his student was already back to report on his progress then it was all the better. “Greetings, my young apprentice. Good news, I hope?” Seiryu spoke as the moonlight broke through the canopy to illuminate his form.

“You’ve been dealing with one of my failed pupils I hear.” He chuckled, thinking of the Uzumaki brought mixed feelings. Sayuri had been a thorn in his side from the moment she went to Kaishi upon the eve of his freedom. Though he couldn’t entirely blame the girl, her usefulness once the seal had been broken had relied on being little more than a source of regeneration. Had she been more cooperative perhaps he wouldn’t bear some of the scars he did today. It was a shame, she could have been a potent ally and being a living reminder of Mirai was just a bonus, really.

Seiryu turned his focus back to the conversation at hand, Natsu knew better than to call him on a whim after all. Not that this particular meeting would be wasted in that case, but a positive outlook could only aid his cause.

"Yes, Lord Seiryu." As soon as his master emerged seemingly from within the moon-cast shadow of one of the forest's great trees Natsu lowered himself to one knee in deference and respect while lowering his head. It took Natsu a second to articulate his thoughts from his surprise. Though his teacher had been nothing but kind to him, the man was still hard and cold. Having caught him in a good mood like this was a very rare surprise. "After the ruckus died down, Sayuri Uzumaki tapped me to join ANBU." Natsu then began to recount the events of the meeting verbatim, leaving nothing out. Did Lord Seiryu know any amount of this information, perhaps even most or all of it? Probably, but it was never a good idea to leave out anything from a report. Thoroughness was critical, and Natsu did not wish to seem as if he was hiding anything. Lord Seiryu was an understandably paranoid man, and he had extended to Natsu a rare hand of trust.

Once he was done recounting the meeting, Natsu added some of his own speculations. "...In conclusion, it would appear as if Sayuri is taking a 'trust but verify' approach with me. As your former disciple," Natsu stressed the word with a hint of smugness before he continued to speak, "She is paranoid by nature. Granted, the way I have presented a story that so closely parallels her own has gained me a scrap of empathy at least. I plan to leverage that to keep her off the scent." The amount he was being kept in check as soon as he returned to the Village had been extremely telling. Just as Lord Seiryu had warned him, Natsu was being viewed as a potential threat by the Leaf. The readiness with which they did it was alarming, like they'd been watching him for some time... Okami, had to be. "They've assigned your nephew to me as a minder within ANBU. The two people most closely and publicly tied to you and they watch me like a hawk. It can't be a coincidence, though as I said before, I believe they are simply being cautious as of right now."

Seiryu had come to look forward to these meetings in a way, to begin with he thought of Natsu as a useful tool and little more, they tended to bring good tidings towards his final goal. He chuckled at Natsu’s confirmation. “A dangerous place to be. Sayuri may be a failed disciple, but she was trained by me nonetheless.” The explanation to follow was thorough, meeting even Seiryu’s strict standards. The Hyuuga Scion’s words were precise and clear, to the point, he could ask nothing more.

“Takao too? Interesting.” That was something of a burden, Takao happened to pry far more often than he should, not that they couldn’t work around him. As tenacious as he was, his nephew was unlikely to catch the scent if he hadn’t already. “You’ve got things under control. In other words.” Seiryu seemed pleased with the report at least. “Well done, Natsu. Soon all pieces will be in their place”.

It had been a good meeting so far. Seiryu being so open about his confidence in Natsu could only help matters, at least that was his goal. There was no point denying his apprentice a well earned pat on the back.

"Thank you for your praise... And the warning. I'll keep your words to heart." Natsu allowed a brief flicker of a smile to pass over his features before it vanished as quickly as it came. "In addition, I have other news to report as well." Natsu took a moment to pause and sort out all the information in his head. It wasn't much, but again Natsu didn't think holding back even tiny nuggets of information was in his best interest. For years, Natsu had done what his master asked of him in a bid to gain more favor and recognition. To satisfy his addiction for validation in an effort to puff up and preen his own now-massive ego.

"Sayuri has been assigned to a Genin squad as a teacher. The children's names are Wu Ying Rou, Kiku Hyuuga, and Nox Izukia. Here are their files, master." Natsu produces a set of three small scrolls, light in deeds and achievements as they were all Genin. "And... It would seem the Fenikkusu Clan, that small subordinate clan of apothecarists subordinate to the Hyuuga, have a jinchuriki in their possession. I had a chance to speak with the boy, Shojun Fenikkusu, and he didn't even realize he had a bijuu sealed within him." Natsu let the unspoken danger remain as so, since he had no doubt his master would immediately connect the dots. If the Fenikkusu Clan had a jinchuriki, that meant that the Hyuuga Clan, their superiors, did as well. Hopefully going above and beyond like this would mean he'd get another lesson from Lord Seiryu, it had been a while since he'd last practiced or learned anything new.

The warning was taken in stride, which was important. Of all the people in the Village who might be able to stand against him, Sayuri happened to be one of the more annoying obstacles in his way. That tenacity and drive that was inherited by his teammate’s daughter was something that he couldn’t so easily break. “Interesting.” He took the files for later review, better not to let anything fly under the radar. With the right training these young shinobi could prove to be dangerous. Of course, it was also a source of weakness for Sayuri to deal with, they’d be easy targets fresh out of the academy.

The conversation shifted toward the Fenikkusu clan, one that Seiryu himself had little knowledge of care for. At least until he heard they held a jinchuriki. Natsu could practically see the gears going to work.

“Very interesting. Well done Natsu.” He repeated, pondering over what he had been told while storing away the new intel. Only to retrieve a new scroll that he held out for his student to collect. “Something new for you, I’ll expect that this jutsu will serve you well. Should you prove capable of controlling such a power.”

The scroll itself was sealed closed, though it wouldn’t be difficult for Natsu to release. Part of the test perhaps. “I’ve transcribed a method of utilizing the Edo Tensei technique with my own designs.” An uncommon jutsu, one that Seiryu had put to use in an earlier attack upon the Leaf. Modernized and rewritten from the notes provided from the Sound Village. Another of his final moves towards his ultimate goal, but his student would need this technique if they were to succeed in the battles to come.

As Lord Seiryu held out the scroll for the Edo Tensei, Natsu's breath caught in his throat. The younger Hyuuga struggled to keep the trembling from his hands as he gently took it and stared down at it with awe. This was the jutsu that had brought this master and apprentice pair together. The jutsu that Natsu could use to see Hiroshi again. To apologize. To explain to his sweet Prince why he had done what he did.

"Master, I... Thank you." Natsu cradled the scroll like it was a newborn babe before looking up at Lord Seiryu as his voice welled with emotion before he quickly squashed it down. This was no time to be getting emotional, his master never did anything without good reason. Though he pushed down the geyser of feeling, Natsu couldn't help himself and got to work unsealing the scroll.

It was a complex seal, greater than anything he'd had to work on before. A bead of sweat rolled down the young man's brow as he carefully and precisely undid the seal under Lord Seiryu's watchful eye. After a decent amount of time spent in silence, Natsu let out a breath as the seal undid itself and he unrolled the scroll and began devouring the knowledge within like an emaciated child at an all you can eat buffet.

"This... This is..." Natsu looked up from the scroll, his moon-like eyes wide with the awe and respect of a zealot. A nostalgic look, perhaps even reminiscent of how Sayuri used to look at him, or even members of ROOT. "Lord Seiryu, forgive me for this impertinent question, but may I request a chance to show you that I'm worthy of this... This kingly boon." Natsu's face softened a little as he looked just like that little boy who asked for Lord Seiryu's autograph all those years ago. "You... All this time, you've been the only one who stood by me. Believed in me. Trusted me. Please grant me the right to prove your investment in me wasn't wasted."

Seiryu was certain that Natsu would put this technique to good use, so far Natsu had proven highly capable in all of his pursuits so gaining access to this much power could only show positive returns. He nodded, providing time for Natsu to unlock the scroll itself. It would hardly prove to be a challenge for Natsu by now.

He took this pause in conversation to simply look out into the night, having found himself some manner of serenity as his plans all began to come together. The scroll was unfurled, and its secrets devoured. This form of the technique had been adjusted from Kokoro’s formula. More stable, easier to control and inbuilt with his own special touches.

Seiryu watched on with some level of pride while Natsu made his request, there wasn’t a student yet that had managed to make it this far. This new approached had worked better than he might have envisioned. “Your work so far has proven that many times over Natsu. There’s hardly a need.”

“Though I am interested in hearing your proposal. I look forward to seeing how you'll prove yourself this time” Seiryu opened the floor for Natsu to go ahead to say his piece. He turned from the valley back toward his apprentice, pondering what he might have in mind.

"I..." Natsu paused for a moment as he looked up at his master. Having turned from overlooking the valley, the moon backlit Lord Seiryu's features like an ashen halo and Natsu looked at the man who had given him everything. The man who took him by the hand and showed him the path less traveled, the path ignored by those in power amongst the Village. Everything had begun and ended with this man, and Lord Seiryu's approval always seemed to give Natsu the warm fuzzies. That feeling, that need, that was what drove him to be better. Be stronger, faster, more precise. "Would... Would you spar with me, Master? I am under no illusion I can beat you, but I..."

Natsu's pale eyes turned downwards for a moment as he realized the itch in his soul he wanted to scratch so desperately. He knew, on an intellectual level, that Lord Seiryu felt great pride in his accomplishments. The man had said as much, but never those four words. Never clearly stated. 'I'm proud of you.' Firming his resolve, Natsu muttered in a quiet and embarrassed voice. "I just want you to be proud of me."

Seiryu pondered the request, though he came to a swift conclusion. “You’ve grown Natsu, there is no doubt.” He began, “But a sparring session is hardly necessary. And to risk injury on the final days of this plan would be foolish.” He smiled, “However I can offer you something else, to help even the scales as it were.” Another technique gained through his alliance with the Sound Village, a new kind of cursed seal, though nothing like the one the Hyuuga clan utilized.

“Your dedication has been steadfast, your progress exceptional.” He motioned his student closer “Stand still, this will only take a moment.” He instructed, assuming Natsu played along he would begin applying this new technique. Rather than rely on the relatively barbaric practice he had learned, it was an array of sealing markers.

“Soon we will be unveiling your mask, there will be no need to maintain it much longer.” He continued while continuing work on the seal. “You are to prepare a meeting for me. With Kunshu Hyuuga.” Seiryu etched the final few sigils of the seal to step back and form an unfamiliar handseal to channel chakra and complete the ritual. “Do you think you can do that?”

The price for Seiryu’s praise had dramatically increased, from simple training and low-level skulduggery to what could only be an assassination attempt. Such a move wasn’t to be taken lightly. Even if he wanted to stop it though, Seiryu was almost certain Natsu would take the offer.