A warm heart of ice. (Open! Come RP!)

Kagaikinrei, a staff of mythological stature, stood upright in the center of the large training room. It's one end pushed into the dojo's soft carpet, an invisible shallow indent being created beneath it. The legendary weapons gleaming brass ends reflected the light coming in from the area's small windows, casting small lines of illumination across the wood beam strewn floor, the effect creating an appealing and yet dazzling dance of illumination as the odd cloud blocked out the sun's brightness from time to time. The rest of the forty by forty foot room was empty, save for the resonating sound of a far off clicking. It was an ominous noise brought to the ears of the lone Sannin who stood atop the staff, generated by an intricate mechanism of foreign design. Eyes closed, Masahiro Yukina, the Sage of the Snowy Peaks, breathed slowly, his arms crossed in front of his powerful chest as it rose and fell. Today was his training day, and he chose to do so alone, in privacy, awaiting the beginning of what was to be one of his more interesting segments.

Several days ago, he had approached one of the villages puppeteer's, a man who was revered for not only his immaculate battle strategies, but also his keen engineering skills. In an attempt to ask for a sparring partner, the Jounin had done one better for Masahiro, transforming an entire training area into a trap infested gauntlet. It wasn't as elaborate a practice method as a true sparring partner, but then again, who was there to spar? Masahiro was a shinobi with few equals in the world of the ninja, anyone else in the village, with the exception of the Hokage, coming even close to matching his supernatural talents. So here he was, solitude and empty air being his only companions, about to face an assault of whirling mechanized death in a box. Upon entering the room, Masahiro had set the timer he had been instructed to, giving it a blind spin so that even he would be unaware as to when it went off. It had been nearly fifteen minutes now, and so Masahiro had taken to standing atop his staff, using it much like a bird does a perch, meditating the minutes away, letting the sound of only one thing occupy his thoughts.

Click. Click. Click. Click!

Ears properly tuned, Masahiro heard the subtle difference and opened his eyes. Two weighted blocks swung down from the ceiling, the ropes that held them in suspension aiming to crash the spiked and rough carvings into either side of him. Masahiro stayed still, waiting. The world moved on, but only as if it were doing so in a thick syrup. Masahiro's reflexes and speed were great enough that he needn't worry about attacks such as this. A split second later, the wooden blocks collided, their oaken spikes splintering into each other. Masahiro had taken to the air, his trusty staff still standing upright now far beneath him. The assault wasn't quite over however, for as the sage moved, the rooms hungry eyes followed him, more machinery coming to life. Shuriken flew from the walls, each bit of sharp stealing trying to teeth into the only flesh in the room. As they neared, the Yukina clan member uncrossed his arms, sweeping them out to either side. The action caused him to twist, the sannin performing a full three-sixty degree turn while doing a simultaneous back-flip. The shuriken grazed past, his body contorting to the open spaces as they did so. Two collided mid air, a bell like clash echoing from them. Gravity then took over, and as Masahiro fell, the two suspended weights began to separate, rebounding from their previous impact. Passing between them, it was a simple matter of throwing two powerful kicks, each in opposite directions, something only achievable through a perfect split. His feet touched the blocks, and in response, the ropes they hung from snapped, their charge having quickly changed direction. The blocks would have continued to smash into either opposing wall, had it not been for the wall length blades that came from said wall. each attempting to catch Masahiro off guard. But from the kicks, Masahiro rolled forwards, keeping his legs out to either side as he did so, the sharpened blades passing harmlessly over top of him, scissoring off the hairs from his head. Only when the blades pass did Masahiro extend his legs again, his right hand grasping the uppermost half of his staff as he completed the flip, swinging the weapon in a large vertical arc, so that as his feet touched down, Kagaikinrei came to rest in his other palm, the end of the weapon protruding outwards as if to stab at the air.

Woosh!

Thew sound of steel cutting through the air caused Masahiro to duck and twist, a rather large battle axe fanning the top of his head as he turned to face the attacker. A large metal mannequin stood before, it's four arms equipped with a battle axe, sword, mace and shield respectively. Not pausing to give the sage a thorough examination, the metal monster continued it's seemingly random and haphazard offense, it's arms, in both the sense of limb and weaponry, swinging at quick and unknown intervals. The staff moved masterfully in response, a weapon of greater power could not have been wielded by more synchronized hands. Not a movement was wasted in defending against the four weapons, but even still, Masahiro felt himself being forced back, the lifeless figure refusing to give up any ground. Losing hope, Masahiro raised the staff to block both sword and mace simultaneously, throwing his foot up to stop the shield from bludgeoning him in the ribs. The axe then swung low, the only weapon to not be caught in the lock up, it's goal to sever the sage's ankle. Seeing the blow coming, Masahiro shoved hard, kicking off the shield and throwing the other weapons away from him. The puppet didn't lose it's grip in Masahiro's attempt to disarm it, however the motion did leave the being open, just as it had carried Masahiro out of the way of the axe, into a tight back-flip. Before he could land and make good on the opening a dull thump could be heard, like that of a small air cannon firing, for that's what it was. A net flew open, but before it could capture him, Masahiro struck out with his staff, the end of which caught the center of the airborne web. For a moment, as the net bent inwards, it appeared as if it's length would still cocoon Masahiro within it, but as the sage then twisted the staff, i's inertia changed, and it began to wrap around the end of Kagaikinrei instead. Then, before letting the wire netting get too tangled, Masahiro spun the weapon, the net sliding off the end to fly in a new direction, towards the puppet. The metal monster's limbs soon became tangled, and while they didn't stop, they slowed. The distance Masahiro had gained from his acrobatics now gave him some time. But as another noise reached Masahiro's ears, he turned the motion from his staff spinning into a left turn, facing his new attacker. The wall now adjacent to him opened up to reveal a kunai launcher. Worse yet, it had several barrels and what appeared to be a rotating head.

"Dammit."

Cursing softly, Masahiro did the only thing he could given the time he had, and spun Kagaikinrei as fast as possible. The barrage of kunai struck the staff and bounced into the air, but as Masahiro performed a quick spin to continue his twirling defense, it appeared as if the gatling kunai machine wasn't about to run out of ammo, and so he moved towards it, moving his staff from side to side as he spun it. Stepping to the side only once, he noticed the machine tracked his motions it's barrage unrelenting. Getting even nearer, Masahiro formulated a plan. Ducking under the line of fire, Masahiro swung his staff back up in front of him quickly as he took to the air, knocking several kunai upwards with him. The tracking system acted as Masahiro suspected, dipping down before rising to follow him, giving the sage a head start on the impeding hail of sharpness. As he climbed, several of the kunai began to feel the effects of their weight, stopping as if hung by invisible wires, before descending back to earth. This left Masahiro with two floating rather close to him, with a quick series of spinning kicks, they were gone. One landed and held between the previously spinning barrels of the kunai launcher, stopping the wave of blades from leaving their chambers. The other struck the netting that the puppet still struggled with, it's sharp weapons threatening to cut through the wire at enemy moment. As the kunai struck however, it pinned the net down to the puppet's body, the wire growing taught and restricting the weapons movements.

This was Masahiro's last chance, as he landed, he pushed his body into the direction of the puppet. He held the staff low, performing a clean butterfly flip, an extra twist at the end... and with a little chakra.....

The staff cut clean through the monstrosity at the waist, it's upper body, limbs and all toppling to the floor as it became motionless. Masahiro stood in it's wake breathing hard, head down. His body was still in the follow through position. For a few seconds, everything was still, nothing made a noise. Then a shallow squealing, like something taking in a breath of air started from far behind him. Masahiro Yukina threw his staff into skyward, twisting his body one-hundred and eighty degrees as fast as possible. As he turned, he formed the three hand seals related to one of the only techniques he could think of to protect himself now. Sliding into a low stance he caught sight of the far wall. Different barrels and chambers coated the entirety of it, a single flame held in front of the largest barrel at it's center. A moment later, the room was basked in flames.

The steam eventually faded, the water encampment wall having effectively saved Masahiro from the flamethrower. The techniques had been on par, the flames gone, the water evaporated. The room was charred in it's entirety, smoking embers cast here and there midst upright standing kunai and shuriken. Reaching into the air, Masahiro caught his staff, spun it once through his fingers, then stopped it by tapping the end against the ground, holding it upright beside him. Breathing outwards slowly, the sage then turned, using the staff as a walking stick, to move towards the door. But it was there that stood yet another surprise.

No more traps or obstacles.

Someone was waiting for him.

The Village of Konoha. A bright, and cheerful village where the sun shines over it proudly. As many problems Konoha has had throughout history, with attacks, battles, wars, the place never seemed to change. Even after the Uchiha Clan fell apart, and it's remaining members were scattered throughout the lands, it still seems unphased by all the tragic incidents that had happened throughout time. The village of Konoha was always busy, and lively, day after day. People going about their business without a worry on their mind. Among those on the streets of Konoha, was a figure in a black robe, and a hood that shaded their eyes, though only partially. Because of the color of the eyes, they were somewhat more noticeable, even beneath the shadow. The orange eyes of Revy Uchiha. One of the last remaining Uchiha members, who is thought by all of Konoha, to be dead. Revy was marked as K.I.A, and her existence was swept under the rug by the former Kage, just a few years before the fall of the Uchiha Clan.

Covering the lower half of Revy's face was black wrapping with two diamond like black spikes that stuck up slightly, just below her eye, attached to the wrapping. Beneath the black hooded robe she wore in order to hide her appearance, she wore her regular outfit.

Spoiler:

Her purpose for hiding her identity, was that she doesn't want anyone who may be capable of recognizing her from what they had possibly heard in the past, about the disgraceful orange eyed, white haired Uchiha. Not many people know of her, seeing as all her life, she was kept hidden within the Uchiha grounds, and her Ninja files were marked as K.I.A, and hidden within the archives of history when she had ran away. But she was never the one to be to carefree. Revy walked the long streets of Konoha, adorned in her robe, avoiding anyone that wore a headband, in order to keep from being taken in, or questioned on her identity, as she didn't plan to stick around for very long. Her only intentions were to drop by a special place where she had always visited when she had come to the village, and leave as quick as she could. Though to her disappointment, due to the odd stations of the village ninja today, she would have to take a risky move, and travel through the Konoha Ninja Headquarters, in order to get to her destination. Her destination of which, is the Konoha Graveyard. There had been rumors around the village of a figure in black that roamed around the graveyard on rare nights, thus, Revy was forced to take another precaution, which was to conceal her chakra. Something she wasn't very good at, but she had did it as best as she could in order to not be tracked, or followed.

Just after entering the Ninja Headquarters, Revy made her way down a hallway, where multiple doors lined the walls left and right. She was capable of telling no one was around, though she didn't know for how long. She hadn't usually come during days, but because of the heightened patrol out at night, she had no other choice. As Revy made her way down the hall way, a slight heat had filled the air, as if someone had left an oven open. The further she got down the hallway, the stronger it became. A layer of sweat had began to build up on her skin, because of the outfit she was wearing, and her eyes drooped slightly. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't take the robe off, as it helped conceal her chakra from tracker ninja, even if just by a small amount.

After about 3 minutes of walking, Revy came to a dead end. She could have sworn she was going in the right direction, though perhaps her sense of direct was off slightly, seeing as she's not any bit familiar with the inside layouts of these buildings. She turned around in disappointment, and walked back a few feet until she came to a 4 way intersection. The loud sound of a bang was heard coming from her left, so she had began walking that way, hoping she'd find an exit from the building before ninja came back from their stations, and patrol routes. After a few hundred feet of walking, Revy came across an exit, as well as a few more powerful sounds coming from a building a few hundred feet across from where she was currently standing. Though she had finally found a way out of the Head Quarters building, Revy was once again lost, not knowing where she had left the building from. And even worse, the heat in the village picked up from the sun beating down, and it was getting unbearable to her. She was half tempted to create a rain storm above the village, but doing that would raise suspicion, seeing as there are no clouds in the sky. If she had suddenly created a storm, alarms might go off, and a search for the location of where the chakra came from might begin. Revy definitely didn't want that to happen.

Step by step, in the heat, Revy made her way towards the building, that appeared to be a Dojo, where someone was currently training. She had no intentions of interrupting the class, or whoever training, but because the Dojo was on a hill, she was hoping to spot any signs of a graveyard, without having to resort to using the rooftops, as that may be a little to dangerous to do during the day.

As she walked up the steps, back onto flat land, she smelled charred wood, and a powerful moist heat came from the inside of the Dojo. Revy got a little closer to the door, just to see what was going on out of curiosity, but to her surprise, a large figure had appeared right in front of her, from the light amount of steam there was emanating from the openings of the building. The appearance of the man startled her slightly, not only from it being sudden, but the fact that out of all the people in the village she could have ran into, it just HAD to be the one that already knew of her. The sage with the staff she had battled against in Amegakure. Whether or not he would recognize her, she did not know. Revy knew she had to act quick in case the man were to try to finish what they had started in Amegakure, though she was in no shape to battle. Exhausted, and under the pressure of the weathers tough heat beneath black robes. Her breathing was a little heavy, and her eyes were at a slight droop.

She couldn't have picked any worse of a day to visit the graveyard, then today.

Revy took a few steps back, with a slight look of shock on her face, as she didn't know exactly what to do.

As Masahiro turned, his eyes landed softly upon the dark figure. In that split moment, he took in as many details as he possibly could. Through the combination of her, or what he presumed to be a female due to the figure's inherent fragility, black hood and Masahiro's taller structure she was completely covered head to toe. Gloves, boots, cloak, hood, face wrap. The angle and shadowing of the hood hid her eyes completely from his current proximity, the clothes were inherently familiar all the same though. Something about their style was reminiscent. Pushing it aside for the moment, the sannin (now kage) inhaled swiftly, his body still mid-turn towards her. The scent of drying blood, nearly impossible to remove from cloth. A mildewing smell accompanied it, which hinted towards an unusually damp environment. If anything that explained the estranged attire. After all, in Konoha's sunny climate, even Masahiro was uncomfortable, choosing to go bare chested more often then fully clothed, just as he was naked from the waist up now. And... sweat. It had been hard to pick out against the scent of his own musk, but it was certainly close. The heavy clothing in this heat was uncomfortable for her, clearly, which left only one reason to wear it.

All this information was received, calculated and understood before Masahiro even came to fully face the stranger. So as she then back pedalled, he stepped forward, taking advantage of the long flowing robes she wore. Planting his heel firmly down into the cloth, he used his physical advantage to try and keep her light frame from retreating too far. As she stepped back, she stood at full height, if only briefly. As opposed to her previously hunched position, the sage of the snowy peaks quickly estimated her height to be about five foot, three inches... No, maybe four. Slightly more then a full foot shorter then he anyhow. By keeping close, he forced her hood to work against her, just as it did he. She's be staring square at his chest, rather then up into his eyes. Natural human reaction was to attempt to look at someone's eyes, to understand intent and the like. By taking this stance, if she wanted to see his eyes, he'd get to see hers.

He on the other hand, had little to hide.

When the foot shuffle stopped, and all went still for a moment, Masahiro made one last quick note of his environment. There was a small amount of water still pooling in the centre of the dojo, good for one, maybe two techniques before he would need to create more. The remaining steam was also dissipating quickly, but if need be, he could use it in a pinch. The splintered carcass of the mechanized demons that had just attempted training alongside his immense strength, could likewise be useful. Knowing all this though, he still resolved to keep the battle outside if need be. The more eyes the better. That, and if she was already uncomfortable in the heat, offering her shade would be a significant loss as far as strategy was concerned. He also thought briefly of Martes, recovering some distance away in Konoha's ninja/animal wing of the hospital. Enhydra accompanied him, and could possibly be alerted. These were all brief fleeting thoughts though. Someone would have to be foolish to challenge him in his own village, surely.

And it was impossible to account for fools.

As if the world wasn't ready for the awkward silence, a light breeze dragged a few leaves through the air, although none broke line of sight, or even came near the two opposing nin. It was then that Masahiro's words fell upon the wind. "Good afterno-." He stopped prematurely, as the breeze let the cloak open before him, and he caught a mere flash of the tight leggings beneath it. She was frail, about a hundred pounds. But the cloth was immediately recognized. Masahiro's previously emotionless faced split into a dull smile. "I had a feeling I'd cross your path again. Calm down." The last statement was premature, given she probably thought quite negatively about their previous encounter. "I've yet to tell anyone of your endowments, or of your very existence. I wouldn't be much of a sage if I shared all my secrets, after all." He removed his foot from it's place, relinquishing the half of the robe he had pinned. She could now run if she wanted to. Whether it would do her any good... entirely different topic.

"The why, eludes me however."

As a moment of silence dawned on the 2 nin, the sage broke the silence. "Good afterno-". His sentence was cut short, and his eyes had motioned to Revy's lower half. The breeze had picked up slightly, due to them being a little higher up then where she was at previously, and caused the lower half of her cloak to separate with the wind. This, revealed the outfit, and her lower structure to the man. The look in his eye after seeing it, seemed as if he had already known what was up. Why she was here though, is most likely still a puzzle to him.

Still looking at only the mans chest due to her height, Revy didn't need to see his face to know a dull smile had crept it's way across his face shortly after he had figured out who she was. This was no surprise to Revy, but what he had said shortly after, was.

"I had a feeling I'd cross your path again. Calm down."

Those words in fact, surely didn't make her calm down. And instead made her begin to wonder why it seemed as if the sage had been "expecting" her. Whether he knew she was going to be at the village, or this is all just a coincidence, Revy didn't know. But she did know, if he had tried to attack, her only option would be to run. At her full speed, only if she activated her Kekkei Genkai, she could be at the outside of the village in no more then a few seconds. Revy took a small step back, and noticed the bottom of her cloak was pinned beneath the foot of the man, keeping her from backing up any further. After realizing she couldn't move back any further, she looked up at the man, revealing her upper face from behind the shadows to him. Because of the height difference, she had to look up, and allow the hood to fall back a little in order to see his face. Her orange eyes became visible, as well as the loosely hanging strands of her white hair. Though the lower half of her face was still covered by the black wrapping.

"I've yet to tell anyone of your endowments, or of your very existence. I wouldn't be much of a sage if I shared all my secrets, after all."

Just as Revy began to wonder if this was perhaps a trap, the man said something to her surprise. According to his words, he had not told anyone of her powers, nor her existence. That much she could thank him for, but she still didn't know what he had up his sleeves. Is he maybe trying to trick her, and lead her into a trap, or get inside of her head, and play mind games with her? Just then the tug on the cloak had loosened, causing Revy to take a quick step back, only in order to keep her balance. The man's foot was no longer on her cloak, allowing her to move freely again. This could be her chance to run, which would possibly be the best idea. But even if she were to run, unless she takes to the skies, she would be unable to find her way out of the village. After all, she's never ventured past the Uchiha grounds, aside from a small path from the main gate of the village that led to the grave yard. Taking to the skies, even with as fast as she could move, could be to risky, as then the attack alarms may go off, and teams of ANBU would be on her tail.

As the wind slightly picked up more, Revy was speechless, not knowing what to say to him.

Locking eyes, Masahiro monitored them carefully. He watched as the pupils flickered towards the bottom left corner, but reposition themselves as she forced their contact. She tried to eliminate the tell. But it was there all the same. With a jerking motion, Masahiro's staff slid upwards in his palm, then leaned and fell onto his shoulders. Raising both arms up, he rested his forearms on the polished red wood, letting his hands hang over the end towards the woman before him. Alongside the motion, he unleashed a hearty chuckle, stepped sideways, and leaned his torso. His left arm was pulled up by the staff, and it passed over Revy's head. It may have looked threatening for a moment, but he simply did it for a moment to pass by her, walking through the door frame, and commencing down the path behind her. A few steps later, and he paused again.

"You could indeed run. Let's be honest though, this time there's only one of you, and I have a feeling that, while you're good. Ahehe... I'm sure you can guess the rest." He twisted his head, eyes looking back over the staff to lock onto the back of her head. "Besides, you've come this far into the city, can't imagine you want to abandon all of your plans just because of me now." He looked back down the path again, remaining motionless. "So for the meantime, you should probably just tag along with me..."

He started walking again, moving down the cobblestone road at a leisurely pace. The destination was as of yet unknown. "Regardlessly, if you don't keep me company, the only thing I'll have left to do for the day, is investigate those rumours of some figure in black roaming about the graves. And I can't imagine that'll be nearly as pleasant an activity." His pace didn't slow. He didn't look back. The wind died down once more, and left nothing but the sun gleaming off the ornate gold on Kagaikinrei. Masahiro kept a positive outlook on life, and tried to do so with the current situation at hand.

Not every cog had a place though.

The moment the man began messing with his staff, Revy was ready to react if needed. She had the free will to run right now, but it probably wouldn't be the best thing to do at the moment. As the man, of which Revy still did not know the name of, positioned his staff on his shoulders, she had lowered her guard a little, though only to raise it once more as he made his way around her, and behind her. He made his way along the cobblestone path that led back to where Revy had previously come from. Revy wondered weather or not the man was going to simply let her go, and allow her to roam the village freely, though the thought of that didn't quite seem right.

""You could indeed run. Let's be honest though, this time there's only one of you, and I have a feeling that, while you're good. Ahehe... I'm sure you can guess the rest.""

As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Even with the power she possesses, fighting against an entire village would be troublesome for her. Especially while she is in her current condition. Both the weather currently being against her, as well as the fact that she is currently unable to divide the ripples of Samsara. What that meant, was for Revy to know, and for the world to later find out. Before speaking once again, he turned his head, looking back at her. Her view was locked onto the back of her head.

"Besides, you've come this far into the city, can't imagine you want to abandon all of your plans just because of me now."

This much was true. Revy wasn't able to visit the village often, thus, she'd hate it if her plans were spoiled just because she ran into this man while trying to find her way. "So for the meantime, you should probably just tag along with me..." The thought of taking orders from this person disgusted her, but she had no other choice then to do so, seeing as after what he had said, Revy doubted he would just let her walk off in a different direction. She figured, perhaps if she followed him for a while, she would come across an area she recognized, and find her way to the graveyard, where she had intended to go from the start.

Revy turned herself, and began to walk towards the Sage, though just after a few steps, the heat began to take it's toll on Revy's body. Beneath her black cloak, the color black of which attracted the heat of the sun, a powerful heat beat down on her from being exposed to the heat of the sun for to long, causing her to fall forward a little. Mid fall, Revy nearly created a half tiger hand seal, a seal of which would have created a rain storm above the entire village of Konoha, but stopped herself in order to put her hands forward, to keep herself from hitting the ground. The seal was simply an action of pure instinct, though if it had been completed, it could have meant trouble for her. The palms of her hands caught herself on the ground, keeping her from falling flat on her face. After coming to a little, Revy realized what had just happened, and tried to brush it off. She quickly stood back up, though with an exhausted look on her face, and had hoped the Sage hadn't seen what had just happened. If a display of weakness from her had been revealed to him, it would give him the perfect chance to strike at her if he had wanted to. Though she couldn't be to sure, as the impact had surely made enough noise to where he'd have heard the fall.

After picking herself up, she looked back towards the way the Sage had took off, and walked in that direction, though at a slow pace, and with a slight hunch.

As they walked, Masahiro wracked his brain. He needed to bring forth any knowledge he knew of the Rinnegan. Or for that matter, Doujutsu in general. He once knew a young gennin who could even tell the future with his eyes. To an extent anyhow... Ended poorly for him. As they walked along the path, the frail, and soon to be sun dried figure some distance behind him, the sage glanced up towards the sun.

It's really that bad. Reminds me.

Roughly half way down the hill, away from either building near the top, began the long length of shrines, each situated roughly a dozen feet from the next. Not only did they depict several religious deities, but many housed bird baths. It was at the first of these types, that Masahiro stopped for a moment. Removing his left hand from it's perch, he reached down to scoop a small fistful of the liquid. Clean and pure water, taken from a spring atop the Hokage mountain. As his finger's left the basin, what wasn't amassed by his grasp turned to ice. Cold, but solid and unusable, raising the hand towards his mouth, he then spoke.

"I used to be like you." He glanced back again over his shoulder at this statement, a serious expression on his face. It broke shortly afterwards. "Weak in the sun I mean." The puddle turned, becoming a large an intricate snow flake, roughly an inch a cross. It glistened with condensation in the white's sun's gaze. He studied it for a mere second, before placing it onto his tongue, letting it melt in his mouth, a significant cooling sensation. "Got over it." The walk continued on, a new practice added to the march however; each source of water they came across, Masahiro was quick to freeze. A simple tap of the finger, or knock of the staff, and whether it were small pool, pond or even creek, it turned solid. For now, he wanted to see how deeply dug this weakness was. That and how long she'd tolerate it for.

It wasn't until after a second creek crossing, whereupon Masahiro's footsteps created ripples, that soon became prints in snow, that Masahiro stopped. The path had carried them into a small wooded area of Konoha, ending in a dead end, trees on all sides except for whence they had come. It was then that he turned. His staff slid off his shoulders, and planted firmly between two of the loose stones below. With it's other end held tightly in it's grasp, Masahiro leaned it away from himself, then placed one, before both feet up onto the side of it. It was a peculiar stance indeed. And only by keeping the staff at a certain angle to the ground, and Masahiro's body, and an opposing angle, calculated to be exponentially less by not only knowing his own body weight but by also having impeccable balance, was he able to keep upright. Looking vaguely at his recent follower, he then gave the staff a tug towards him, leaning into it briefly, and back out to rest the tip of the staff in the crook of his elbow. Now he not only was, but looked comfortable. His free hand lazily untied the water skin from around his right side, then lifted the bag. Holding it outright and shifting his palm under it, the sage held it as one would a bag of coins, to test their weight, or to almost display the fact that they were of significant worth. He had a feeling, that although they weren't coins, they'd have a similar effect.

He looked at it in distant thought, remembering what it was like. It felt like being cooked. Every ounce of water in the body nearly gone. Soon, delirium kicked in, and at that point, dehydration had won. If she had followed him this far in, and if his summation was correct, she wouldn't be able to make it back to a viable water source before losing her sanity. That could be dangerous for the village, but she would likely die of dehydration eventually at that point. It felt all too familiar.

"You can have this, if you'd like."

He made no moves towards her, didn't throw it, didn't even gesture the water skin a fraction of an inch closer. Just continued to stare at it. He did flex his fingers once more however, while he stared at it. The sound of liquid could be heard bubbling from within the leather.

"Mind you, you never do know what someone could put in one of these. Bad water seems an awful way to go. If it even is water." It was. "May not be worth the risk. Can't say I've ever heard of someone dying from dehydration. Though that's probably me being forgetful."

The water wasn't poisoned, there was no point in killing her. It was pure, and cold from being so close to Masahiro. His body had a tendency to draw in surrounding heat, leaving nearby objects cold. Not to an extreme extent, and he could only fluctuate it sparsely. But it occurred all the same. There was not such thing as cold really, just the absence of heat. And so, to generate cold, that heat had to go somewhere.

"Either way, it's yours. As long as you want it. I don't need you to beg, nor even ask. Just come take it. Kindly, of course. After all, what am I, but a man of kindness, offering a Kunoichi, some hopefully pure, water."

He almost whispered the last word.

Along their travel, the sage had made a few stops, at areas that appeared to have little water around, in things such as bird baths. Revy didn't pay to much attention to these stops, though when the sage stopped, and began to mess with his staff, it began to worry her. He had brought her to an isolated area, surrounded by tree's, save for the path they had took to get here. The sage mounted himself on his staff in a strange fashion, and held a leather pouch full of "pure" water in his hand, towards Revy slightly. Revy inched close to the Sage as he spoke of how pure, and non tainted the water was. Whether she could trust him or not, she didn't know, but she knew she had no other choice but to at least try, if she wanted to remain conscious any longer. Revy didn't know whether or not she could trust him, as he could be twisting his words to make the water look as innocent as he did, but the true threat could be himself, or that staff of his, in the position he took while holding the water. Just in case, she had drew a Kunai beneath her robe, to at least parry with if he had indeed tried to swing the staff at her.

Revy kept her body at maximum distance, while reaching her left arm out to grab the pouch of water from the mans hand. Her right hand, held the kunai beneath the robe, ready to deflect or parry if needed. As she got closer, she had a slight moment of hesitation, where she had stopped moving closer for a moment, and withdrew her hand a little, clenching her fingers into a loose fist. Revy kept eye contact with the man, and reached out just far enough to grab the pouch out of his hand. After having hold of the pouch, she withdrew her hand quickly, and took 3 steps back, distancing herself from the man once more.

With the pouch of water in her hand, Revy turned to the side slightly, to where her left side was now facing the man, and brought the pouch of water closer to her face. She unscrewed the cap, and sniffed the water. It didn't have any type of bad scent to it, though the smell of the pouch itself was mostly what she could smell. Revy slid the black wrappings around her mouth up, so her mouth became visible, and put the opening of the pouch to her lips, and lifted the pouch, drinking the water inside of it. It tasted like regular water, so she began drinking the water at a fast rate. Upon finishing, she leaned forward a little, placing her right hand on her right knee, and let out a strong sigh, or exhale of air from drinking it so fast.

After straightening her posture, she brought the back of her wrist up to her mouth, and wiped her mouth, just before fixing the wrappings she had on the lower half of her face, so they had covered her mouth again.

Masahiro watched the girl intently, noticing the slight shift beneath her robes. He didn't pay it any significant attention, she was in no state to try and best him in combat. Slowly, cautiously, like a wounded animal, she took the pouch from him. Masahiro smirked only slightly as she did. His eyes boring into her as she drank, he took detailed mental notes of any revealed flesh, or any tell tale physical traits. None such arrived.

As she caught her breath, Masahiro spoke again. He could only imagine that by now, each twisted word that fell from his lips was like another painful stab on the torture rack. "Now, why would you have done that? Asarrabacca, grows right over there." He nodded his head in the direction of a small grouping of trees, purple flowered vines coating them. "If it's tasteless vine grounds are consumed, one would be rendered docile, and incapable of violence for a significant period of time." He paused for a moment, to let the thought linger, then nodded again in a new direction, back and behind Konoha's guest. "Or look over there, Mandrake root. Small dose would be powerful to put me to sleep, that's tested fact. You're what, a hundred pounds?" He had a sly smile on his face, but he continued none the less. "Or what about the Darnell plant over there, high enough dosage, and you'll go blind. Can't imagine that helps that unique doujutsu of yours. Luckily, I didn't put any of those poisons into the vial. Not that I can remember."

He hopped off his staff at this point and with a quick twirl, it then disappeared, collapsing in on itself into an infinitesimal point. "So now that we've established you'll show trust in an absolute stranger who's capable of killing you, or at least that you do so in a state of emergency, I would like to know why. And you can either answer that question, and hope that I'm satisfied with it, or leave quietly. Any other alternatives you may be thinking of, will end in your death. Oh, and throw in why you're here while we're at it."

They weren't questions.

The moment the Sage had said "Now, why would you have done that?", Revy went into a slight panic. The reason she had drunk the water, was purely out of desperation, and nothing more. While the sage began pointing out all the different plants that he could have put into the water in order to poison her, her eyes shuffled around fast, taking in view of everything around her. There was a strong look of worry on her face, , and it only got stronger as he started pointing out even more plants, and what the effects would be on her. The truth is, Revy does know of these plants and their effects, but the strength of the heat had blurred her mind, causing her to act only out of desperation.

In the end, the sage revealed that as far as he could remember, the water she had just drank was not tainted..as far as he can remember. This worried Revy a little, but it released some of the tension built up in her mind. Just then the sage had twirled off his staff, and the staff had collapsed in on itself, and disappeared from sight. To Revy, that staff was truly a remarkable weapon. It was as if it had acted on it's own, similar to Revy's Acheron, though it was to early to judge that for sure. Revy turned towards the Sage.

"So now that we've established you'll show trust in an absolute stranger who's capable of killing you, or at least that you do so in a state of emergency, I would like to know why. And you can either answer that question, and hope that I'm satisfied with it, or leave quietly. Any other alternatives you may be thinking of, will end in your death. Oh, and throw in why you're here while we're at it."

The moment he had begun speaking of trusting a stranger, Revy's eyes motioned away from the man, and down slightly, avoiding eye contact with him. She hated doing things like that, and let her desperation get the better of her, which to her, was pathetic. Letting herself die would probably have been far more honorable, though as much as she hates pulling stunts like that, dieing is not an option for her.

"If I'm to die either way..I'd much rather take the one shot at survival I'm given...What use is anyone when they're dead..especially when they died from something as pathetic as the natural weather..."

Revy lowered her hood, allowing some strands of her long white hair to fall behind her, though some remained tucked into the cloak. The upper half of her face became more visible, and her bangs, as well as the strands of hair that hung down in front of her became visible as well. She then crossed her arms, and leaned to the side a little, turning her head to the side slightly, looking at the nearby ground.

"I only come here to visit someone..."

Masahiro listened. He didn't buy it. As she spoke he crossed his arms, slightly mirroring her stance. Rather then shift his body weight to one side though, he stood square. Back upright, and feet an equal distance apart, the stance emphasized the physical difference between the two opposing nin. He tilted haughty pose radiated agility and flexibility, while Masahiro's was a pinnacle of strength, power and size. When she was finished he spoke out again.

"I forgot to mention, that if you lied, a certain potential antidote, to a potentially hypothetical poison, will never see the light of day. Potentially."

He was in a tongue twisting mood. He felt mind games to be much more effective than shaking a fist in someone's face anyhow. Sure, she was small, doesn't mean their strength came down to who had bigger biceps.

Even though that was him.

"Why don't you try again. Besides, you don't even no where you are any longer, do you? Maybe I can help you get to what you're really seeking. And if indeed that is a someone, and not a something, perhaps you should be more specific. For your sake, certainly not mine." A cool breeze blew through the air once more ruffling the many leaves that surrounded them into a cacophony of hissing and rustling. Somewhere in the woods, a twig snapped under the gust's force. As opposed to being high up on the hill top and exposed, this time, even under cover, the wind was fiercer. It was always cold, supernaturally so, for the current weather.

When Revy had finished speaking, the man had spoke once again. It didn't seem as if he believed her at all. Though he spoke in tongue twisters, and seemed to love to play mind games, Revy knew where he was getting at. The water she had drank. Whether it was poisoned or not, she did not know, but the man loved to take advantage of that fact, and use it against her to hear what he wanted.

"Why don't you try again. Besides, you don't even no where you are any longer, do you? Maybe I can help you get to what you're really seeking. And if indeed that is a someone, and not a something, perhaps you should be more specific. For your sake, certainly not mine."

Although the man was quite packed in muscle, he wasn't at all stupid. He seemed to read Revy like a book. She was indeed lost, and for the past maybe hour now, has been unable to find her way. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right.

"As i said..I only come here to visit someone..That someone is at the graveyard, and is no longer with the living..."

A sad look came across Revy's face as she spoke, though she still had her head to the side, ignoring eye contact with the Sage. She wasn't one to get emotional, but when this subject was brought up, even after 9 years had passed, she'd still sometimes get teary eyed on the subject. Though to avoid looking like a child to the Sage, she held any emotions she had back. She spoke the truth to the sage, but she didn't know how much the Sage would trust her words.

The breeze had began to pick up at their location, a breeze strong enough to cool Revy down, and keep the heat at bay for a while. The last thing she'd have expected was to get stuck in a situation like this, where she would be interrogated by someone she had never expected to even run into.

Masahiro examined his fingernails, and as he did so, his left hand was held out in front of him, finger extended, and rotating at the wrist. He wanted more out of her. When he was satisfied with his cuticles, he turned his hand over, as if to check an invisible watch. Letting out a sigh, he glanced towards the small girl, returning his arms to their crossed position.

"You'll probably start to feel dizzy right around now. I like to hear rather lengthier explanations though, while I'm searching for small and hard to grasp vials within my many pockets. Perhaps you should try one more time. Or maybe just carry on with where you left on... While I might have all day, the same can't be said for everyone."

It was all a blatant lie, but Masahiro's expression remained stony, as it had for most of their interaction. He had smiled and grinned once or twice, forcing an emotion ridden visage, but his eyes stayed the same throughout, stony and studious. At this point, he hoped that, had he been convincing enough, and he was sure he had, by her partial willingness to share information, that her own mind would now begin to work against her. The only thing that would start to make her dizzy, would be nothing more then mind over matter.

OOC: I'm getting progressively shorter with these, but you've left things at a bit of a stall. Soon I'll proceed onwards.

Once again, the Sage didn't seem very convinced at all, and wanted even more information out of Revy. Why he was after this information, she didn't know, but it seemed as if he wanted to know her entire personal life. It had begun to tick Revy off a little. Turning her head to the man, and being in contact with his eyes once again, Revy was getting slightly annoyed with this so called Sage of which she still didn't know the name of.

"I don't know anything about your past, or how long you've been in this village, but 9 years ago an Uchiha named Karin was killed by her own kind, in her own home. People looked at her as a disgrace for having a daughter with a Senju, but not only that, but for her daughter taking on a strange appearance that looked nothing like those of the Uchiha blood. On the night she had planned to run away from the village, and take her daughter with her, she was assassinated, and left in her own blood by her own clansmen. Not only that, but she was looked down upon even more, after her death, when her daughter had lost the ability to use her Sharingan after reaching the third stage."

Revy spoke in slight anger, raising her voice a little, with her fists clenched down to her sides. The dizziness the Sage had spoken of, at this point had never hit Revy. She wasn't one to allow mind tricks to phase her. Revy, although not the smartest of people, wasn't an idiot. And if she hadn't started feeling symptoms of being poisoned yet, she most likely wasn't poisoned, which she had figured by now. When the sage had spoken of the dizziness she had never felt, she knew at this point it was all either a bluff, or whatever poison it is, is a type that acts slowly, or is capable of hiding itself for a while. Gathering her breath, she spoke once more, as the breeze turned into a strong wind.

"Why she wasn't able to use her Sharingan any longer, is a story you don't need to know, but in case you hadn't put the pieces together yet, I'm her daughter, and Karin's grave is in that graveyard."

Revy didn't know the Sages position in the village, whether he be a regular ninja, ANBU, or possibly a teacher, or anything, so she wasn't able to put together anything about him. He was powerful, and possibly on Kage level, though she couldn't be sure which he is, seeing as she's also heard stories of Sannin in Konoha as well. A select few ninja who are equally as powerful as even the Kage. Which this sage was, she didn't know though. Though what she did know, was that he loved to play mind games, and snoop into others personal lives, without thinking of any consequences, or even of the other person when doing so. The strength of the wind that blew by was enough to lift Revy's hair, as well as cool her down quite a bit. The heat of the sun beating down upon the village had let up a bit, and the weather took a short change to a cool, breezy type. Whether it was only a change in the area her and the Sage were at, or if the entire village had experienced such a shift in the weather, wasn't known.

If Revy truly wasn't poisoned, then that was one less thing she had to worry about from there on out. If she was poisoned, she would eventually feel the symptoms of the poison, though so far, she hasn't. Even at this point, if she wanted to try and flee from the sage, she probably wouldn't be able to, as she was still hot, and exhausted. Whether the silence following Revy's words stayed, or it be cut short by the words of the Sage, the breeze would die down only moments later, and the heat would regain it's strength once again.

(Sorry it took so long, i was busy all day)

Masahiro stayed silent over the course of her story. And despite her increasingly hostile tone of voice, as he listened the missing puzzle pieces filled. For now, he was satisfied with her answer, and based on her frustration, an emotion far from the fear which had previously kept her under his mighty paw, she had probably realized that the poison was a bluff. Unfortunate.

"Well, now that wasn't so hard, was it? Although I do recommend watching your tone of voice in front of the newly appointed Kage."

The words would hit deadpan, and Masahiro smiled shortly afterwards. Surely, she'd be able to recover more information about him after leaving his presence, now knowledgeable of his true title. That was all part of the plan though. The Sage was extremely guilty of playing the mastermind at times, while outwardly in denial of it altogether. For now, the "Uchiha" was simply another cog in the system.

"That aside, I believe our business is done here."

Moving quickly, Masahiro swung an arm. At the distance he was away from his target, he'd appear as if he was swinging at mid-air. That is, until Kagaikinrei appeared in a flash, coming to fruition from apparently thin air. It lashed out with a vengeance.

And separated several hanging vines and stray tree limbs from the area behind him, clearing an opening. He liked this game of cat and mouse, keeping the girl on her toes. Regardless, now being able to see through the dense foliage, the graveyard could be seen on the other side. They had taken the long way, and it was indirect, but leading her to her want, was once again, all part of the grand scheme. There was always a good chance, that the Sage of the Snowy Peaks, knew more then he let on.

"I had a feeling. You may now proceed on your way... Outcast of the Uchiha."