A New Purpose

The snow fell softly through the air as it slowly covered the ruins of Korigakure. All that remained of the village was a torn husk of the grandeur that once stood in the frozen mountains. Pillars of ice shot out of the ground to impale buildings like a thousand frozen arrows. A single person remained in the village, though he was never a villager. He sat in a throne of ice, alone in the center of the village where the Korikage's office used to stand. He wore no shirt despite the blistering cold and rested his chin on clasped hands. A single eye stared out across the devastation as he sat in silence, open wounds still bled from a titanic battle fought only weeks ago...

It was dark as he descended through the churning Ocean, he had been slowly falling for the better part of an hour and was still yet to see the ocean floor. No light emanated from the small bubble of air he sat in, and the seas around him were broken only by the luminescent fish which frequented the deeps. After some time a faint blue glow emanated from below and Takeru opened his eye to see a enormous structure of ice. His bubble of air sank gently through an opening in the frozen cavern and Takeru found himself in a dimly lit maze of twisting ice passages. He couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of awe at the gigantic passages, each large enough to house a several story tall building. He walked forward and found that soon the water level dropped until it just covered the floor, he released the seal which provided him air and breathed in the icy chill of the labyrinth. The sound of the sleeping Hachibi hidden in the cavern filled the air, thrumming through the translucent walls. He wandered the maze for hours, following the sound of the monster's breathing until he found himself in a titanic cavern that defied all description. His jaw dropped at the sheer size of the icy room until his gaze was drawn to the eight tailed mass sleeping at its far edge. "So...its finally time Hachibi." Takeru stood for a moment watching his foe sleep, so much of his life had been dedicated to tracking down and sealing the bijuu and now it was finally time to accomplish his goal. His footsteps echoed across the rocky floor of the cavern as he crossed to the center of the frozen hall. The Hachibi stirred and lifted a massive head to look in his direction. Takeru forwent words and instead roared his challenge with a primal fury. The Hachibi answered in turn, the sheer volume of its feral scream rattled the walls as icicles fell from the cieling above. takeru formed handseals as he charged the monstrous animal, its eight tails swinging in the air as it opened its mouth once more, a ball of pure chakra forming in the opening...

He lay with blood streaming down his body, dripping down onto the frost covered floor. A gigantic gash crossed his torso where the Hachibi had swiped him and one of his arms hung loose by his side, a pulpy mess of flesh where it had been caught in the creatures teeth. On his other arm a black seal stood out against his bloodied shoulder where he had finally, after a full day of furious combat, sealed the Hachibi. As he slipped into unconsciousness he felt a warm chakra surrounding his body as his wounds began to slowly heal of their own accord. As his vision faded to black he let out a roar that was both part man and part beast. He woke on the shore naked as the day he was born. He stood on shaky feet and began to walk in the direction of the rising sun, leaving footprints in the sand. Later a passing fisherman would stop and stare at where the small print of his body had been, and at the gigantic shape furrow in the sand surrounding it.


He hadn't returned to Morikagure lest he lose control of the titanic force sealed within him and destroy the things he loved. He had retreated to the frozen ruins of Korigakure, where the Hachibi seemed to like the frozen wasteland that had once been the village. Over time he had reached an understanding with the beast and had painfully mastered it, making its chakra his own. Now he sat and waited, waited for a sign of what he should do. He was driven for so long by the desire to seal the hachibi and now found he had far too many options. He wanted to find the Yonbi and avenge his dear wife, he wanted to crush the Rebellion and bring peace to his Empire, but he had found that since the destruction of his village he couldn't see the war in the same light. Now all he wanted was for the conflict to end, no matter how or why. A full month passed before he reached a decision. In the midst of on endless blizzard Takeru stood, and took a single step forward...