Wandering Heathens

Ruins

"STOP PUSHING ME IN THE WATER!" Ryuu screamed at Shinjo who had used his wind nature to send Ryuu tumbling into the many pools that surrounded the ruins of the Land of Eddies. Shinjo laughed as Ryuu wrung out his robes and hair. "You need to cool down" he said smugly as he hopped gracefully from a rubble pile to the ruins. "I'll show you 'cool down'" Ryuu muttered darkly. "What was that?!" Shinjo demanded, his brown eyes flashing angrily. "Nothing! Nothing! Let's just go" Ryuu quickly replied as he walked to the largest ruin.

Shinjo was at the entrance, reading the kanji and symbols that were carved around the door. "Only those deemed worthy may enter" he read aloud. "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" He yelled as he sent a large wave of wind at the door. It crashed into the door with an almighty clang! and the structure shook before slowly crumbling, leaving the doors askew. "That works too" Ryuu said with awe in his voice at Shinjo's raw power.

Itachi couldn't believe her eyes. The amount of chakra generated by Shinjo's body was incredible and physiologically impossible. She activated her Sharingan and looked at their chakra systems. Two chakra systems?! She thought in disbelief. She looked again and again saw two chakra systems in each man; their natural chakra which glowed blue and red respectively and another laying just behind it, glowing black. What the hell?! She left Kisame swimming happily in the pools and followed them into the ruins.

"Spooooooooky" Ryuu said, inflecting his tone to echo on the damp walls. Shinjo rolled his eyes at his partner and continued looking around, trying to find the scroll. "Where the fuck is it?!" He hissed, his impatience lacing his voice and demeanour. "We're looking for a "gilded room" although with this much damp and the passage of time would likely mean that "gilded" is rather faded. Look for a room made of metal I guess" Ryuu shrugged and walked on. "This is fucking stupid! Why can't these things be out in the open?!" "Because that defeats the purpose of hiding it. Remember, no one is supposed to be able to find kinjutsu scrolls. We just happen to be smart and capable" Ryuu soothed. His ego satiated for now, Shinjo continued looking.

They entered the last room in the ruins. Moss clung to every surface, water dripped from the ceiling and the walls were covered in lichen. "Gross" Shinjo muttered as water dripped onto his hair and robes. "Don't be so high maintenance" Ryuu lightly scolded while peering intensely at a wall. Taking out a kunai he scraped a patch of lichen off the wall. The gold glowed faintly through its green patina. "Found it!" Ryuu said happily, "it's in here somewhere!" he said while hopping down to the ground.

They scoured the room but couldn't find anything leading them to the scroll. "Dammit!" Ryuu yelled as he dramatically sank to his knees, "it's gone" he said with a depressed aura around him. Shinjo sat on a stone and cradled his hand that he had inadvertently cut on a sharp rock while searching. He pulled out a roll of bandages and tried to wrap his bleeding hand. Blood dripped from the cut and spattered onto the stone he was sitting on. With a loud creak and rumbling, the stone moved aside, with Shinjo still on it, and shattered. Ryuu's head snapped up, his depression forgotten, as he saw the opening Shinjo had created. He quickly walked over and peered inside. "It's an altar. This kanji means "jinchuriki"! I think you've found it!" He yelled happily as he reached inside and pulled out a damp moldy scroll.

Shinjo had stood and dusted himself off, his cut hand forgotten as he joined Ryuu who was on his knees gently unrolling the scroll. Thankfully the mold and damp was only on the outside; the symbols and signs crisp and clear on the inside. He beckoned Shinjo to kneel down and took his uncut hand and placed it on the trigram seal. "This might hurt" he said as he wove hand signs and Shinjo fed his chakra into the symbol.

"Mezameru!" He said and a yellow-white glow surrounded Shinjo who looked on with wide eyes. He felt his soul be pierced by sealing chains and screamed as it felt like his chakra system was being torn apart fiber by fiber. "Hold on!" Shinjo heard Ryuu yell but it sounded so far away. He was spinning and falling into a deep black abyss. What do you want? he heard in different voices as he continued to fall; why do you want to cage us? the voices asked. He remained silent and grit his teeth as both of his chakra systems were ripped apart and seemingly out of his body. He reached forward to grab his chakra and yanked it back to his body and a deep chuckle was heard as unseen hands grabbed onto it and pulled mightily. "NO!" he yelled in anger and desperation as he watched his chakra leave him. "YOU WON'T WIN!" he screamed as he grabbed his chakra and pulled with every ounce of strength he had. He successfully reabsorbed his chakra and the voice and darkness faded as he slowly opened his eyes to the light.

Ryuu gasped in shock as he looked at Shinjo. He looked the same except for his eyes: they glowed a golden color with a black X for pupils. "Holy shit! It worked! What happened?! How do you feel?!" He asked, his questions coming in rapid fire bursts. "It sucked and I'm in a lot of pain" Shinjo responded, his eyes turning back to their natural brown color. "Your turn" he said and placed Ryuu's hand on the seal. "Mezameru!" he said and watched as Ryuu fell into the abyss and fought for control of his chakra. Gasping, Ryuu came back and his eyes changed to match Shinjo's golden ones and Shinjo had a chance to see the change for himself.

Both men sat side by side, gasping after the chakra battle and holding their aching heads as their eyes adjusted to their new dojutsu. Ryuu pulled out a battered and torn journal and read some notes. "We've got it. Now we have to master it. A jinchuriki would be the ultimate test" he said as he put his book away. "I don't want to move let alone fight" Shinjo muttered. "Agreed" Ryuu said as both men passed out from exhaustion and pain.

Itachi stepped out from behind some rubble and approached them. She prodded their prone forms with her foot but neither man stirred. She sighed and sat down across from them and summoned a crow and wrote a stark message and sent it on its way. Kisame patrolled the waters around the ruins on the lookout for anyone who would challenge them and take their prize. Itachi watched them breathe and silently hoped they would pull through. We need you, she thought as she looked to the ceiling. The Shinobi world needs you.