Welcome to Gaia! ::

When Niko came to, she was laying on a bed that she was unfamiliar with. She looked over to see Hisashi (full wolf now) laid out in a makeshift bed bandaged up and looking much better. He was still out cold, but he didn't look too banged up anymore. Niko sighed as she looked around. She had a massive headache and was starving for some reason. She would try to get out of the bed when she was stopped by none other than Ryota, who had entered the room with a tray of food. "Not yet Red. Please rest okay. You've used up quite a bit of chakra. Anymore and you might've been put in a coma..." He placed the tray on the table. With a sigh, he pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed. "We need to talk..." Niko turned away in disgust of herself.

"If it's about my failure save it. I feel bad enough as it is..." Ryota shook his head. "You did nothing wrong Red... If anyone failed today, it would be me. I should have never pushed you to go out there like that." He had a somber look on his face. Niko listened to his admission of quilt in confusion. "I let my arrogance as a teacher cloud my better judgment on your well being. I believed with your strength you would be fine, but I never once thought about your experience. You've handled yourself well up to this point, but everyone you've faced was well below your skill level. You also didn't have to worry about killing them. In a real fight however..." Ryota shook his head. You could tell there was hint of regret in his voice. "I should've prepared you more... For that I ask for your forgiveness." Niko could tell this was about more than just her. Something was off about him ever since he came back from his mission. Niko needed to know why.

"Sensei... What happened to Itsuki?" The question was all to simple, but the response was far from that. Niko felt it in her bones. Ryota had been around for a while, and he had taken an interest in her from the start, but she never knew why. It couldn't have just been because she knew Itsuki. The connection was too thin for him to care so much. There had to be something deeper. With a sigh, Ryota would respond. "Itsuki Uchiha, my nephew, was K.I.A during my last assignment." The answer hit Niko like a ton of bricks. Instead of getting mad however, Niko just looked down. Then, she asked one more question, one that was meant to be a moment of truth for them both. "What else have you lied to me about...?" Niko's tone was more hurt than anything else. Ryota shook his head. It was time to come clean. With a regretful sigh, he began.

"I've known you since the day you were born, Niko Hatake... That was a very sad day actually. There was much loss that day, but you were the only silver lining. I was very good friends with your father and mother and they with me. When they told me they were pregnant, I was immediately chosen to be the god father along with my beloved. However, when you were born, my beloved and I were returning from a dangerous mission. She was injured very badly. We were able to make it back to the village hospital, but she was not going to make it through the night. It was then we discovered you were born, however, you were born blind. Your father was torn. His newborn daughter was blind and his best friend would lose his beloved on the same day. She however, saw that as a blessing. She calmly made her decsion. She would not live out the night so she decided to give up what little of her life she had left to give you sight. It was a brash and hasty choice, but she didn't want her gift of vision to be wasted with the ending of her life. Reluctantly, I came to terms with her choice. The surgery was a success and soon after, my beloved passed. Blaming myself, I left the village in search of something that took me years to find. When I returned, you had already grown so much, and you had Hisashi by your side. Soon after, you left the hidden leaf and that was the last time I saw you. Seeing you here, was a shock to say the least. All these years later... and I've still learned nothing."

Niko would take this all in, and as she did, she began to understand a bit more. She just needed to know one more thing. "What was your beloved's name?" Ryota spoke her name and Niko clenched the covers tightly. She had never told anyone, not even Hisashi, but Niko used to have an imaginary friend when she was really little. It was a very nice woman with beautiful red eyes. Niko wouldn't understand her significance until that very moment.

"Her name was Rangiku."

Rangiku. A name that stuck with Niko for a moment. After a sigh, Niko looked up to Ryota. She would ask no more questions, but she did make a statement. "I thought very highly of you..." She would end there, letting him know in her own way that he messed up. "Re-...Niko... I never meant to keep this from you. I just couldn't find the right way to tell you. I needed some..." Ryota would begin again only to be cut off. "I had a right to know! Itsuki... my eyes... You knew who I was from the very start, and yet instead of just explaining who you were, you just lie to me!" Ryota would try to start up again but was shut down by Niko. "I don't want to hear anything else you have to say. Just leave me alone." Understanding as Niko looked away, Ryota stood up and left the room. Niko sat there in awe. She really couldn't believe what she just heard. She looked back to the sleeping Hisashi. "What the ****..."

Niko got up and rubbed him as he slept. Then, making an executive decision, Niko grabbed the encyclopedia and sat back down. She had to get her mind off of what she just heard. She sat down and began to read. There were quite a few techniques hidden in there. The shopkeeper seemed to be holding out on her. She started in the suiton section.

For some reason, Niko liked the jutsu that were snake and or serpent based. She came across one that came about from a mass of water. The water, after being created, could fly at the target in the form of a biting serpent. This was similar to a few of her techniques but it was a stronger version, one that used a bit more chakra. It was a nice addition to the collection.

She continued to read something that could have been useful back in the gully during her dive team stint. This allowed her to breath underwater. This was done by taking the chakra and using it to remove the oxygen from water. This allowed the user to stay underwater for as long as they had the chakra to do so. After memorizing how to do so, she moved on to the next technique.

The next technique was a double technique meaning it was a way to create water. After making the needed hand seals, the technique called for the user to expel water from their mouth. The water is enough to fill a large pond, meaning it made a crap ton of water. The water could even be ridden as a giant wave. The technique could even be used for other techniques. She moved on to read more.

The next version of the technique was on a much larger scale. Instead of a giant wave, a giant dome was formed. This dome encased them inside and it would then be up to the user to finish things off. This was another way to control the battlefield. Niko only had so many more to learn but the thoughts of what Ryota said were still haunting her. She would need to keeping reading in order not to overreact.

As Niko kept reading, and came to a powerful technique. This one was extremely useful in that it was able to combine with other techniques and become stronger. This technique could be used as a defense and an attack. When an attack comes in, they could just counter with it, or can launch the technique as an attack itself. IT was one of those techniques with quite a few purposes. Niko wouldn't rely on it too much though. It required a lot of chakra. This was a last resort type of move.

Learned: Suishuu Gorugon [ Water Attack Strong Current Torrential Rain ], Suimenka no Kisoku [ Breathing Underwater Technique ], Baku Suishouha [ Bursting Water Collision Waves ], Daibaku Suishouha [ Great Exploding Water Collision Waves ], Daikoudan no Jutsu [ Great Shark Missile Technique ]

Moving on to the raiton section, Niko spent a few moments looking it over. There were some techniques in there that would be extremely helpful in certain situations. Niko began to start reading in depth. She started with an advanced technique similiar to a technique she made. The user envelops themselves in a stronger current that also acts as an armor. The user uses the current to become faster, stronger and more durable, and it didn't have the pesky drawbacks like her technique. The only problem was the amount of time it could be active. The technique itself was great, but it's duration was short, meaning it would have to be used as a last resort, or a quick way to attack or defend.

The technique that followed was developed by a Hatake and was considered one of the deadliest techniques ever made. It was just like the Chidori, only it was much more powerful and used more chakra. There was even a limit placed on the jutsu. Using it more than a certain times in a day will leave you exhausted or close to death. The chakra use was astounding but the payout would always be worth it.

Niko moved on to another technique, similar to the Chidori and Raikiri, with a tad bit of differences. First, it rquired focusing the chakra into the fingers. The chakra then can be used to pierce or cut through almost everything. It didn't take up as much chakra to use either. The less amount of fingers used, the more damage would come out. This was because the chakra was more focused to a singular spot. Niko would have a lot of fun with this technique due to it being quick and cost effective.

The next two techniques were both dangerous in their own rights. The first one allowed the user to shoot lightning directly into the ground, and have it come back out. Once in the ground, the lightning will move to the target and come flying out in tendrils. The tendrils track the target by the metals on their body and can cause a significant amount of damage. It could also be used with her swords, which was always a plus for her.

The last technique was a black lightning technique. The user generates a dense amount of electricity and is strong enough to burn one body from the inside out. It was a ruthless technique and was about to become Niko's signature move due to it. The lightning being black was also a welcome addition to the arsenal. More color, more power. Niko had learned what she could from the scroll. The scroll was very helpful however and she was glad she made the stop to get it, even if it put Hisashi at risk.

Niko would look over Hisashi again before taking a deep breath. She was now calm enough to actually have a conversation with Ryota. She was ready to listen to his reasonings as well as give him the benefit of the doubt. There had to be a valid reason as to why she was lied too.

Learned: Raiton no Yoroi [ Lightning Armor ], Raikiri [ Lightning Edge ], Jigokuzuki [ Hell Thrust ], Ikadzuchi no Kiba [ Lightning Bolt Fang ], Gian [ False Darkness ]

Niko, now ready to speak to Ryota calmly, got up and left the room she was in. Ryota was at his sink washing dishes when he noticed her. He cut the faucet off and dried his hands. Then he turned to Niko with a smile. "I take it you're ready to listen?" Niko just nodded as she sat down at the table. Ryota came and sat too. Then, he asked her where she would like him to start. Niko thought for a moment before knowing where to begin. She started from the top of the story. She started with Itsuki.
"Why hide Itsuki from me? He was the closest thing to a friend I had here. Why keep his death a secret?" Ryota did his best to answer every question fully. "It wasn't something I wanted to share. His death fell on my shoulders. He was my responsibility but I failed him... There is nothing but guilt tied to his memory and I haven't forgiven myself. It was a selfish decision made to spare myself pain." Niko wasn't too fond of the answer but at least he wasn't lying to her. He was honest enough to admit that, so she continued. "Were you ever going to tell me, or were you just going to let me find out?" Ryota didn't hesitate. "I had no intentions of telling you myself." Niko took the answer with a bad taste but was not bitter about it. In fact, she was finally able to learn more about the man she has been calling sensei. She was not impressed.

Niko moved on to the next subject. "If you knew me, why not let it be known? Why keep up a charade?" "You had not discovered your sharingan when we first met. The explaination would have been... messy. I also wanted to see the type of person you had become. It's not everyday you run into a god daughter presumed dead." Niko could understand his reasonings here. She knew that if she was told outright, that she might have reacted even worse. She still felt somewhat betrayed, but at least knowing the reasons made it easier to accept. If anyone understood this, it was Niko. People aren't perfect.
"Rangiku... If she was my donor why did only one eye activate?" Ryota shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I've been trying to figure that out myself..." Niko wasn't surprised. She didn't really know what to think about the situation. She was at a loss but still had something she wanted to say.

"Ryota Uchiha, you are a man of small character. However, you have spoken honestly so I will not hold anything against you. This was a difficult situation on both parts and you did what you could. I need to find my own path... and you need to find yours." Niko stood up and walked back to the room. Before she did, she turned back to Ryota. "I will honor your beloved, but I will do so after I find myself. I have an idea on how to do so, but I need something of hers. Do you have anything left?" Ryota sighed as he looked down at his hand. On it, was a silver ring. After a deep breath, he removed the ring and handed it to her. "I'm giving you this, not because you asked... I've something else in mind for that. I'm giving you this because it's a special ring that was given to me by her. It helps focus your chakra control... well it did. If anyone can do something with this now, it's you." Niko took the ring and nodded. Then Ryota told her to hold on while he went and got a small suitcase. Niko would take both the ring and the suitcase in the room and was shocked at what she saw.

New Mood: Focus

Niko realized at this point, the sharingan was activating with or without her. She however still needed to find a way to cope with the news she just received. To start, Niko activated her sharingan. The two tomoe swirled as she looked in the mirror. "I was really blind...?" Niko couldn't fathom the thought of not being able to see, but something felt different. Her eyes didn't feel like her own. She would take a moment to look herself over, before looking down towards the ring. Niko could see the ring no longer had a chakra flow through it. She grabbed some of her materials and got to work.

The first thing she did was heat the ring and combined it with a metal that was known for a chakra current. She had to be careful since she didn't have a forge or a mold. She used her sharingan for percision as she was able to improperly cut and engrave the ring by concentrating the heat into one spot until it was hot enough to cut right through. She cut and molded the ring to her liking before moving on.

Next up, Niko embedded a few seals into the ring. There were four of them, each representing a different thing. The seals contained a certain chakra, as well as a different memory of how she was. She had a goal in mind. When she called upon the memory, it would activate allowing her to focus he chakra based on what she wanted at the time. It was important to note that she did this knowing this ring had it's limits. She made this to do exactly what she wanted it to do. Help her focus.

Niko picked her memories carefully and based then on how she felt at the time. The first of the four seals was known as Pride. This was Niko when she first arrived in the village. She tied it to her signature red attire. In this seal, she stored alot of her pride. The main focus of this was to help her with her weapons strength. The ring would help her focus her chakra to make her attacks also bare the weight of her pride. Whenever Niko would call upon her Pride, as long as she had this ring, she would always have the strength to fight on.

The next seal was that of Valor. Niko was not an outgoing person in the slightest. She tended to stay in the back or out of the main picture. However, Niko developed a way to interact differently. By having the courage to face the masses, Niko made Zelená, the dual wielding master swordsman. She was much kinder and more tolerant, however she was more a threat because she was unfraid of everything and faced everything with valor. She was at her best and was very fast and cunning. Niko used this memory of her to fuel the focus of this seal. It was more speed focused than anything else.

The third seal was one that surprised Niko. She named it Wisdom, and used a memory of Mizu. Why, she was unsure, but she learned a valuable lesson in that outfit. She learned that her guilbility was a lability at times. She needed to be smarter than that next time. Since she had the affinity for water, she took the "Mizu" character and ran with it. She had a lot of fun on stage and used that to make the focus of this seal ninjutsu. She did this to help analyze her opponents as well as the field. When using this focus, Niko would use the majority of it utilizing range or zoning techniques to find out the weaknesses or exploit them if she found them.

The last seal was a tricky seal. It was left nameless. The memory she used for this one was the memory of what just transpired. The attire she used, was just given to her. In the suitcase, there was Rankigu's combat attire. It was all black with some white in there. Still, Niko was surpised it fit. It was comfortable and breathable, making it optimal for combat. Still, it was a bit revealing and Niko felt a bit more self concious in it. She wanted to wear it however to continue on Rankigu's legacy, since she did have her eyes. To do so, Niko would use the focus of this seal to mainly use her clan's techniques. Even the Uchiha techniques would be focused. With that, Niko only had one step next.

Niko made a cup full of cold water and cooled the ring. After it steamed cool, she looked over the ring. There were several small seals engraved in it. With a smile, she put it on. Then, she put a little bit of chakra into the ring and called out a seal. "Wisdom!" Then, in a poof of smoke, she was standing there in a blue attire. She felt as if ninjutsu became easier to use. She felt as if she could use it to it's fullest potential. Then, it's effects wore off and another poof of smoke came. Niko was back in Rangiku's attire. It was a success. Niko was successfully able to fix and repurpose Ryota's Gift.



It was time to move on to the next step of Niko's plan. This was by all means no slight to Rangiku at all. This was for Niko to figure out who she was. Niko had another weapon in mind. This one, would surpress the sharingan, but also allow her another way to use her weapons. She just needed it to work long enough for her to find herself. In order to do so, Niko would use the rest of the materials to make a set of bandages. These were special bandages though. They would essentially seal away the sharingan.

Niko would start with the materials she recieved from the market. It was a special cloth that she had used before. This cloth could hold and retain chakra just like the material she used to mix with the ring. She had a simple goalin mind here. The bandages will also have a seal in them that would surpress the sharingan. Ever since she found out that she used to be blind, Niko had to really think about where she was going to go from there. She found herself in situatuions where the sharingan would activate on it's own, and these bandages will negate that. It didn't come without it's costs though.

Niko was perfectly fine with the trade off she was about to make. In order for her to find herself, she would need to start from the very beginning. Before the sharingan, and even before Hisashi. Niko decided that she would bring back her blindness, that way she wouldn't have to worry about it until she felt comfortable enough with herself. Right now, she had no idea what was going on with her. She had a whole god father, not true family, but someone who was known her for a while. She was dumbfounded and confused but she would need to get over that. She needed to know what she herself was like before accepting something that someone else gave thier life for.

Niko's mind was at a loss right now. She looked at the bandages and began the same process, only this time she had to be more careful. One wrong step, and the bandages would go up in smoke. She began to burn the chakra directly into the threads. She had two goals in mind. She wasn't going for vision, but she knew that once she placed them upon her eyes, she would be blinded due to the seal. In order to make this not stupid, she layered the chakra into the threads. They would have multiple effects to them to actually be more helpful than anything. Still, the precision needed was immense.
She also had to counteract the sharingan's effects as well, which was no small feat. She stored a certain type of black chakra, one that she used to burn a specific seal into it. If the sharingan tried to activate, the seal would activate instead, absorbing and redirecting the chakra. She would have to be smart about the way she redirected it however. The black chakra was not something she would be able to control easily especially with no vision. This was going to be a very complicated weapon to say the least.

Niko smiled only for a moment as she continued to burn the chakra in. She was really getting a knack for this crafting thing. She wasn't bad at it. Still, she had to be careful. She was finished putting in the supression seal, and was now working on another seal. The seal itself was for hearing. She knew that giving up one sense would be detrimental in the long run, so she needed to account for that in some way. She would do so by amplifiying the bandages ability to hear from a great distance. This would definitely help and the bandages would become a central part of her offense. She was just trying to figure out if she could get them to work.

The bandages had been fully sealed and they gave off a strange blue and blackish glow. She was surprised that they actually retained the chakra. The materials she used were all in good quality but she wasn't sure they would hold for her. She herself was just afraid. She would be giving up a life of sight just to figure out who she was. That trade off... To anyone else, it wouldn't make sense. But to her, being born blind but being gifted sight, she needed to know what her life would have been like. She needed to know for her own sake. She was relying on the sharingan her whole life without even knowing it. With a deep breath, Niko toiled away at the bandages.

Soon, she was finished, or at least what she felt was finished. She needed to test them, but was seceptical at first. This wasn't something one just jumped into. She needed to be sure this is what she wanted. She looked back in the mirror to the sharingan. Two tomoe swirling brightly... She was sure that having these eyes was something she would have to come to accept. She took a deep breath as she put the bandages on. Everything instantly went black. I don't mean like someone covered your eyes and you can see peeks of light black. I mean everything literaly went black. Niko couldn't see anything, let alone herself. The sharingan's pressence was no longer to be found. There was no surge of chakra in her eye, she wasn't feeling like she was using a cheat code, and everything seemed right again. Then, the bandages showed her something, something that she would have to get used to.

The bandages did exactly what they were supposed to do. Niko's blackness started to fade away as outlines of things became visible. Then, Niko heard a thumping sound. It was like it was all around her, but coming from a direct spot the whole time. She was confused until she noticed a small light behind her. She wasn't sure what she was seeing but it was behind her when she turned, she did so with ease and looked directly at the light. It was Hisashi's chakra signature. His orange chakra bustled through his body as he slept. She could hear his heart pumping slowly but surely. He seemed to be dreaming about something. With a smile, Niko began to understand a bit. Still wearing Rangiku's outfit, Niko walked to the door again. She had been in the room for a couple of hours. Ryota assumed she was busy and gave her her space. She slowly opened the door. When she did, she could see a darkblue chakra signature. She was unsure who's it was, but she knew it was Ryota. She couldn't see him at all, only his chakra signature. No details on his face or body. She couldn't tell what he was wearing anymore, and could only see the vibrations in his body due to her hearing. She was blind.

"Niko...?" Ryota was at a loss for words. First things first, Niko looked like Rangiku with short white hair. It was surreal for Ryota to be seeing her like this. Second, Niko's eyes were bandaged up, but she was looking at him directly. It was strange to him. He stood up and walked to the other side of the room. Niko followed him as the signature moved. "Can you even see in those?" Niko shook her head. She sat down with ease. She was able to feel where everything was. It was strange, because she couldn't see, yet she could tell where things were. She took a deep breath as she stood back up. She tried activating the sharingan, but the chakra wouldn't hold. "So it was a sucess..." Niko tried one last thing. She was able to feel a cup of tea sitting on the table. Using the same chakra she would to access the sharingan, she picked up the cup without even moving a finger. Ryota was in awe, as a black flamed chakra arm picked up the cup. Niko went to sip it and smiled. She placed the cup down with the chakra arm and turned back to Ryota.

"You never cease to amaze me... " They would speak for a bit longer before Ryota suggested she stay the night. With Hisashi still asleep, and Niko still not at one hundred percent, she couldn't refuse.



Crafted Maboroshi-shi (Phantom Limb) and Ryota's Gift (Drive Gauge)

Niko never took off the bandages. They were definitely weird, but Niko wanted to get used to them. Not being able to see though was strange for her. She began to think about what her life would have been like. She may have never became a shinobi at all, and if she did, she would be nowhere as proficent. Niko sat out in the front room with Ryota. He seemed regretful, but in a good way. Everything he regretted was something that he couldn't really change, and was more so reflecting for the future. Technically speaking, besides Hisashi, Niko had no family. Ryota was now the closet thing she's got. They spoke for a little longer.

"Could you tell me what she was like?" Ryota just laughed for a moment. Then he smiled and began. "She was a lot like you, only she was far from a genius. But Rangiku Uchiha was still a great shinobi. We were apart of the Hidden Leaf's Anbu, something that required a lot of skill. Even with the sharingan, she struggled for a while before getting in until she finally got it down through intensive training with our sensei. She was dedicated to becoming the greatest shinobi she could be. She lived with a smile up until the day she died. Even then, she died peacefully and happily."

Niko listened as he spoke with the bandages still on. She could hear the emotion in his words, the beating of his heart, his want to share this with her. She could feel it all. They spoke for a little longer before Niko went to the room to sleep for the night.

While she slept, she left the bandages on. It was strange for her. She could feel everything, but she was asleep. It was like something else was watching out for her, something with a very cold minded intent. "-Kiiiillll-"

Niko was off in slumberland where she was reconnected to an old friend. She sat there as a little girl and spoke to the black haired red eyed woman. They were having a great time. Then, the sky went black. The woman slowly faded away. Then, a black aura ran through the place she was consuming everything, including her. As she was swallowed up by the aura, Niko could help but cry out. "Rangiku!" Then, as she awoke from the nightmare in a panic and complete darkness, Niko thought back to something she had noticed in her dream. "Who was that...?" Right before she was swallowed up, a girl Niko had never seen before in her life appeared in front of her and joyfully spoke.

"-Thanks for lettin' me out... Ni...Ko-"