Talking To Myself [Private]

Kirei woke up one morning, earlier than usual. Today was supposedly an off day, though he wouldn't take it that way. Even after a hard week of training and little sleep, his body was always ready to go the next day, so he decided to use that fact on his off day. Running a few laps around the island, he would run through the obstacle course really quickly, before he came across a really peaceful scene. A waterfall with a single circle of dry land located in the center of the pond it spilled into. It was in a small clearing, so the way the sunlight hit the pond through the trees made it look like an overall beautiful place to be. So, Kirei decided to take some time to meditate and practice his various chakra control exercises. Sitting down in a lotus position, he would allow his chakra to seep out ever so gently, and then draw it back in. He did this with increasing amounts of chakra, until he got to when he was drawing out Bijuu chakra as well. Entering his eight tailed state, he started focusing on controlling the animalistic rage that he felt.

1/7

As he focused, he heard a dark chuckle coming from within the waterfall. Looking up, he saw, himself stepping out from behind the waters. Except this version had red, slit eyes with dark whiskers on its cheeks and fangs. It looked at him with a sense of disgust and hate. "You are so full of hatred, aren't you?" it spat with venom. Kirei merely cocked an eyebrow, so this was some form of Genjutsu? He wasn't sure, he could usually sense them pretty easily. "I suppose I am, but I am human, so its only natural." Was the only response he offered. His double sneered, "You hate so much, yet you do not blame that beast inside of you for it? It is a being MADE of hatred, it only stands to reason that it is a cause for some of your own." Kirei actually laughed some at that comment. "You think I blame the Kyuubi for anything? It isn't the one at fault here! It didn't ask for any of this, nor does it want any of it, but we are stuck with each other, so its my job to look out for him now. Our lives are intertwined, and it is no ones fault but the Shodai Hokage. I have never met the man, but if there is anyone I hate, it is him." His hatred did show when he spoke of the one who he had been told sealed the beast within him.

2/7

Both the negative version of himself and the being inside of him, albeit the latter unknowingly to Kirei, paused at that. "You mean, you hate the leader of your village more so than the beast that would have destroyed it?" Kirei nodded with vigor. "That man took away the Kyuubi's only hope for freedom and in the same stroke turned me into a weapon for my village. Yes, I hate him." Was all he said before the nega version of himself faded away and he was left to meditate, unbeknownst to him, he had started to draw out the ninth tail. Just thinking of that man pissed him off, so yeah, it made sense. But it would seem he accepted his own little piece of hatred pretty easily, as he accepted that everyone had hatred, they just had to deal with it. But, one should only hate those with the choice to do wrong, as opposed to those who had that choice revoked at the behest of another. It was one thing to do it to save the village, but from what he had managed to find out, he was only chosen because the last host was on death's door and he was the closest baby.

3/7

Standing up, he would walk away from the waterfall, his ninth tail fully forming. Looking around, he could feel that his power had grown a bit more and he was capable of more than he had been before, so he started testing his new physical abilities. It was really something how each tail gave him just the right amount of boost, though he supposed that he had the Kyuubi to thank, since this was power that the two of them shared. Closing his eyes, he willed himself into his seal. It took a few moments of trying, but eventually, he found himself in the dimly lit room containing the beast. It was looming over him with a frown marring its features. "What do you want now, ningen?" Was all it said in a rumbling tone. "I have come to thank you." The nine tails seemed to pause at that, looking down confused. "Yeah, I wanted to thank you for allowing me to use your powers, since you did that for me, I will make you a promise, Kyuubi. One day, I will get you out of that cage, at the very least, I will let you roam free in the seal." The beast merely let out a "Hmmmph" and laid down with its back facing him. Though it had a longing look in its eye as it closed. 

4/7

Deciding that the conversation was over, Kirei left the seal, finding his tails still swinging behind him. Back to training it was then, running through hand seals, he let out a fireball followed by a blast of wind that caught aflame and burned a large section of forest. It would seem that this cloak had increased the potency of his own jutsu as well as his combination jutsu. He really needed to work on learning the Shadow Clone jutsu that his sensei had shown him, that would bolster his training tenfold, but he didn't have the time to do such a thing now, it was already midday. Such an advanced technique would surely take an entire day, maybe a day and a half. He wondered what Matsuda-sensei was doing these days, it had been a month or two since the man left, so he was surely reacclimated into his duties in the village. His current sensei was... something else, to say the least. But, he was definitely powerful and had a wealth of knowledge to draw on. Of course, Kirei would soak up anything he was taught like a sponge, it is how he had always been, how he was raised. 

5/7

Raised in what could only be described as a cell, well, that was being a bit harsh. It was an entire complex that he had to himself mostly, which was one thing that made it feel more like a prison. His only company from the day he was born were a few ANBU guards, his mentors growing up and his mother. He learned very little about his family, not knowing his father or any of his mother's family really, but he didn't mind. He was content knowing only the few he got to while there. But, there was always a part of him that longed for a peer to talk to or train with. His life had been consumed in training and learning, so much so that it became one of the only things he felt he really knew how to do. As a child, he was taught from morning til evening on all things shinobi, including history and the combat aspects of it. Given all of this, it was no real surprise he turned out the way he did, so callous and apathetic. Though, he could feel his sensei was rubbing off on him in some ways, no not like that... pervert.

6/7

The man had caused him to begin opening up, his life going on display. He had learned many things, and improved greatly, in just the few weeks they had been together, Karasu had broken down the barriers that he spent his entire life building up. Is that why they sent that man? To make him attached to someone within the village? To keep him under their control? Was his mother in on all of this? Was he being paranoid? Probably. He may have been on this island too long, but he knew his job wasn't done. He was many things, but a quitter he was not. He was as stubborn as they come and he had a promise to uphold now. He would keep it til his dying breath too. Looking at the sun, he would deactivate his cloak. It was time to head back to the home he had been living in for over a year. He couldn't believe it had been that long, but he also couldn't really fathom the leap in power he had taken since he got there to begin training, it was really quite incredible. He was excited to get back to Konoha to show off his strength.

7/7 [Ninth tail V1 claimed]