ninjanature | (no subject)

[ Naruto would be jealous of their orange house. Fiiiine Nico will move in. Officially. ]

Yeah, kind of why I didn't go try the forest right away. If something was going to happen, I figured it'd be sooner rather than later. [ He doesn't count the skeletons because it seems Mr. F knew about the skeletons in order to make a quest out of them.

He keeps handing over their dinner dishes, with a nod of his head. ] A guy named Dave who has some time-related and flight abilities, his friend John who has wind abilities. I asked Percy but he might not come this time, though he will lend me his hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary. The head of the Defense Force. A friend named Val. You?

[ Nico would also take recommendations for others and of course he's inviting goth dad along. ]

[Time to obtain Naruto House.]

I see. Quite the team. [Dave and John. Dave he knows; a walking ragamuffin shitpost. John, he doesn't know. Sasuke wonders if John is the "boyfriend" Dave mentioned, but Nico says friend, and he isn't sure if it's someone else or Dave simply hasn't made it common knowledge. Percy he has met, though at the time didn't realize it was Percy, that Percy and Nico were worldly related. Mrs. O'Leary he has yet to meet, so he's intrigued by the idea of a hellhound.

Guren he's bullied gently. Fun. Val he has also met; strange guy. Him, with a question. What a rag-tag bunch they were going to be.] I'll go. [He won't say if he's worried about Nico or not, but does he have to?]

How does your ghost summoning work exactly?

Since I'm not sure what to expect, I'd rather have a team than not. [ Admittedly, he only knows Dave and what Dave said about his friend John. There was no mention of "boyfriend" in any of their conversations so maybe it could be the same person. If Sasuke were to see Percy and Nico together, he'd probably see how semi-awkward Nico is around the other demigod. And he will gladly introduce goth dad to one of the creatures that exist in the Underworld.

He's aware that Sasuke and Guren know each other (thanks for nagging other people about him, ninja dad). And Val is strange but a resident of his version of the afterlife so Nico figures he'd be useful. ] Thanks. [ Out of everyone in that list, Nico trusts Sasuke the most. Even more than Percy. ]

Mrs. O'Leary will dig me a hole. I'll throw an offering in, do some chanting and human-like figures will appear. They'll eat and drink the offering then voila, we have a fully-formed ghost capable of speech.

[ Of course there's more to it than that but only Sasuke will be able to see the energy Nico expends on the ritual. It isn't draining so long as he can keep it in check. ]

The most important part is that my chanting shouldn't be interrupted for too long or all of the figures will try to swarm and become fully-formed ghosts.

[Wow, okay, Nico. No pressure.]

The theory is always simpler than the execution. [When the last of the cutlery is put away, Sasuke turns to face Nico with full attention. For a long moment, he searches Nico's face, quiet and contemplative.

He didn't forget what Nico told him already.] If we're attacked by something while you're performing the ritual, or if something happens during the process, do you believe you'll be able to continue without worrying about the rest of us?

[Will Nico be able to control those emotions to complete the mission rather than panic.]

The team you've selected--do you trust us to know what we're doing?

[ If a couple of teenagers can do it, he has faith that a whole group can manage. ]

In this crazy place, I'm expecting something to go wrong. [ Which is why Nico is bringing the hellhound along. She is a creature of the Underworld and thus better equipped to deal with whatever undead problems might pop up than most.

When Sasuke looks at him that way, Nico can't help but look back. And that is... a loaded question - a set of them actually. Because while he does trust Sasuke, Percy and even Val they are also three of the people here that Nico cares about the most. The others he doesn't know as well but doesn't want them to get hurt either. ]

If something attacks, I trust you all to take care of it. [ A slow pause before he answers honestly. ] I'm not going to lose concentration if someone gets a minor injury, I have lived through three wars. But if one of you gets seriously hurt or worse - I can't say I won't react negatively to that.

Mrs. O'Leary can evacuate a couple of people back to town using the same method I do to shadow-travel should things get that bad.

We'll be fine. You don't have to worry about the rest of us. Just focus on what you're going to be doing. Guren and I can handle anything that may happen.

[At least, he's sure they're two of the ones who can the best, being both powerful and tactical between them. Not that Val, or Percy, or Dave, or John (or Mrs. O'Leary) aren't also very strong.]

But you may want to give everyone a role, or give a couple of people a role. Organization will keep your team from turning to chaos if something happens. Someone needs to keep an eye on you while you work. If Percy comes, perhaps him. [Since he knows Nico's methods, understands them better.] If not, choose someone else, or two people.

The others of us can spread out nearby. We may need a scout. Dave says John is attuned to the wind. If he can fly, being above us would offer a good advantage. [Not that he's trying to boss Nico's quest.]

It's something to think about before you go.

Have you fought ghosts before?

[ He knows that at least Percy's sword will work against them, along with his own. And Mrs. O'Leary is literally a creature of the Underworld while Val is from the Netherworld.

But he nods at Sasuke's sound advice. Nico's never really led much of anything, merely offering guidance while someone else plays the leader so he's grateful for it. ] Once I know who's going, I'll give everyone a task.

And if you find that your sword and abilities don't work against the ghosts, take my sword and use it. It was created in the Underworld and can be used against the dead and the living. I've got something else I can wield in its stead.

[ Since he has Underworldly abilities, combining them with the bone scythe he got will be enough for him. ]

I've fought reincarnations.

[So... basically. Kinda. In the end, he'll learn to adapt, which is what he does best of all. Skeletons, ghosts, whatever. He'll figure out how to work around them when it comes to fighting.

But his head tilts just a bit, and he tries not to smile.] If I need to, I will. [He doesn't think he'll need it (hopefully), but he wants Nico to know he acknowledges the offer.]

Let's hope it won't be needed.

Reincarnations?

[ Nico doesn't think it's the same thing as the reincarnations of his world. It doesn't seem relevant to the conversation about fighting ghosts. But he does figure that if anyone will be able to figure it out then it would be Sasuke.

A nod of his head. He'll feel better if Sasuke uses the stygian sword should everything else fails. One less person to worry Nico cares about getting hurt that way. ] If you need to. [ His shoulders lift in a casual shrug. ]

It's a back-up plan. I'm hoping it'll be a pretty straight-forward summoning.

Reincarnations, resurrections.

[For a long moment, he peers at Nico, not exactly studying so much as simply deciding on what all he wants to say, to explain.]

When someone dies, their chakra and their soul can be placed in another vessel. [Like him, he thinks. He and Naruto, brothers from the beginning.] It can be passed down among generations of people, on and on. That is reincarnation.

Resurrection is a style of reincarnation, but it's a little different. It's something you may be more familiar with. You can resurrect the fallen. Most of the time, they will be husks, not conscious of anything. You're using their bodies and techniques. They're easy to kill.

Sometimes, however, you can resurrect the fallen into who they once were. [It's not a drastic change, but he face softens slightly. He can't help but think of Itachi. He knows he'll probably be thinking of the older brother more when seeing all Nico can do.]

They're aware, but they obey only you despite this.

[ He listens and considers how much of it is pretty similar to what can be found in the Greek history and mythology. Idly Nico wonders just how many worlds might have this sort of thing not only rooted in their beliefs but also in truth.

Some say they believe in reincarnation and even ghosts or zombies but his world has so many different religions and they all tend to have different views of the way things work. ]

The Greeks have both of those things and a whole lot more. In slightly varying ways. Some souls can be reborn but I'm not sure if they continue through various generations. If you live three good herioc lives, you can reach the ultimate afterlife. Like paradise.

You know I can raise ghosts which are sort of the souls of people but I can do more than that. I can raise the dead like those skeletons wandering about and more... fleshy versions. Both can retain a bit of who they were. If someone was a warrior in life, they remember that much.

[ Or if someone was a racecar driver, then they become speedy chauffers in their undead afterlife. ]

And I could bring someone back to life completely. Even considered doing it once but didn't. The price was too high for that. [ A life for a life. Bianca hadn't wanted that. ]

[Sasuke's frown is gentle, and not directed at Nico, but it's there. Like before, he can't help but be reminded of someone, though the someone isn't Itachi this time. It's Orochimaru.

He doesn't think Nico has sinister ideals of self-interested like Orochimaru, of course, not in the slightest, but the abilities are similar. He's glad it seems as if Nico has a good head screwed onto those shoulders.

For a long moment, Sasuke is quiet. He glances up, as if he may not speak whatever it is he had planned to say. Nico had seen a hard-fought battle, but not Sasuke at his most vulnerable necessarily. He finally speaks, and his voice is quiet.]

The boy who fought his friend. Before all of that, he had another goal. He wanted to kill his brother. He would do anything to accomplish this, even at the expense of himself.

So he went to a man who defected from any ties to Konohagakure to learn for a few years. A man who wanted to live forever, who experimented with immortality. Who was extremely powerful. A man who performed kinjutsu, forbidden techniques.

Raising the dead by sacrificing another.

[ As the tale is spoken, there's not a hint of judgement from the demigod. He accepts that mistakes were made and that the boy is different from the man who stands here today - yet the same. Smarter and hopefully wiser than the boy had been.

It's something Nico hopes for himself one day. To know that he has the power to bring back the people he loves but accepts their death nearly every time. He can't say what might happen today except that others will definitely try to talk him out of it.

There isn't a hint of surprise when Sasuke names the price. In fact, he nods in agreement. ]

A living soul in exchange for one that's already passed on. I was planning on sacrificing a life that had escaped death for thousands of years. That wasn't what she wanted so I didn't go through with it. Now she's gone on to be reincarnated again, said she was going to try for paradise.

I believe that sounds very much like a better end.

[As someone who comes from an equal, if not more, amount of bloodshed and death. He would rather someone go on to reach paradise than be yanked out of the ground, so to speak.

Itachi...] Naruto lost someone very special to him, too. [It's a bit easier talking about Naruto than himself.] His mentor. It was hard on him. They weren't able to bring the body back for burial much less resurrection. In the end, it was better that way.

Even if you miss them dearly, bringing someone back won't ever end like you think it will.

[ Yeah, about that... ]

Not being able to have a funeral is hard but we do this thing where we burn shrouds for our fallen comrades. It gives people the opportunity to mourn even if there isn't a body to bury.

And I just got smarter at bringing people back to life. I actually brought my younger half-sister back without having to exchange it for someone else. [ He'd been looking for Bianca and found her gone already. ]

Even if the realm of death is a specialty you didn't exactly ask for, you shouldn't play with people's lives or deaths that way.

[This time, his voice is fairly scolding. It's not angry, of course, but he doesn't seem to approve no matter the circumstance.]

The outcome may turn out fine once, but it may not be so on every occasion. Resurrection is a power you need great discretion in wielding.

[ A sigh and he doesn't brush off the scolding. Technically, it's the only one he's gotten because his biological father pointedly ignored what Nico had done. For the sake of his children. ]

I know it was stupid and defying the rules of death is bound to get me and others in trouble if I keep doing it. We didn't even know each other but she was family.

[ Chances are that Nico will never be able to do it that way again. ]

Even now I can't really say that it's something I regret because I can't imagine my life without her but I realize a lot of things would be different if I hadn't. She played a major role in saving the world and without her we'd probably be in serious trouble. It might have worked out fine but I've realized the impact a single life could make.