Cloister

The crisis had been averted. The Orthodoxy and its Chinoike allies had dispersed under the Lady Superior's orders. The Kumogakure military was told to stand down and not commit any act of reprisals. The Kumogakure Civil War was brief but the death toll was staggering. The entirety of the village's forces had perished in the conflict and not long after the Orthodoxy and its companions had too succumbed to lethal injuries sustained as a result of the battle. The Administrative District was scarred with rubble and bodies. Trust was at an all time low and there was significant bad blood on both sides. Vik and Lady Mora had retreated to the Church to plan their next move while Shimiko had done her best to suppress further violence. When she had finally gotten a handle on the situation, she rushed to the Church to confer with her spiritual leader.

The blonde threw the doors open soaked in blood and sweat. Her pigtails were an absolute mess, they were dripping and tousled as though they were an external manifestation of her own spirit. Mora had been speaking with Vik and when she saw how angry and hurt Shimiko was, she turned her attention to the Church's Defender.

"W-Wh-Wha...Why?!" she said in an exasperated tone.

She dared not raise her voice to Mora. She was angry. More than angry, she was livid. Lady Superior Mora had nearly lead a revolution against Nariko without her being there. If Shimiko had not arrived in time, then the Church could have been wiped out in its entirety. It was a reckless move and it was almost a betrayal of trust. Shimiko had implored Mora to let her work Nariko. Nariko trusted her and she trusted Nariko. Shimiko had grown accustom to believing that in time she could convince the woman to grant favor to Jashin's most hallowed Church. No blood would need to be spilled. The Orthodoxy would rise to its natural position as leader of the nation with the Raikage's blessing. But it would take time and investment. All of that was gone now. Nariko would never trust the Church. They'd be lucky if she wasn't spending every waking moment plotting its destruction. Even worse, her relationship with her student would be irreparably damaged. Shimiko had managed to get the situation under control but now their hand was played. Nariko now knew that the Chinoike Clan was in league with the Church. She did her best not to direct her anger towards the woman that had spiritually raised her. The woman that had awoken her to Jashin's glory. She couldn't imagine being angry or hateful towards Lady Superior Mora and yet...

"Shimiko I know what you're thinking but you must understand..."
"Then HELP ME UNDERSTAND!" she said with tears in her eyes. She didn't mean to yell. Raising one's voice to the Superior Sacristan was a capital offense. The punishment was usually removal of one's voicebox.

Mora nodded as though mentally forgiving the blasphemous act.

"Lord Jashin has spoken to me....he has told me that a time of upheaval is coming and with it the fate of his Church. I had kept this vision to myself for some time, meditating as to what it could be and now I am convinced this is it. As I'm sure you've heard by now, this all started with me seeking to give the Raikage guidance. A new visitor has come to the village, one whose identity the Kage sought to keep secret. When I refused to leave citing my authority as representative of Jashin, she had me clad in irons. The rest fell into place as was Jashin's will. The matter is quelled but this is just the eye of the storm..."

Shimiko immediately knelt before her Superior Sacristan. She kept her head bowed and spoke in a low but shaky tone.

"Lady Superior Mora.....I am at your service. You speak with Lord Jashin's voice so when you command I will listen but, but...this uprising, your imprisonment. I was away on a mission....I wasn't prepared...I..."

She was trying to find the right words so that it didn't come across as though she were questioning her Lady Superior. She was trying to communicate that Mora's decision was rash and could have led to a far bloodier outcome had Nariko not entrusted the situation to her. There were so many variables at play here and though the Sacristan was guided by the hand of God. She was still human. Still fallible.

"All in accordance with Jashin's will" Mora waved Shimiko's concerns away. "Every action and decision has been preordained by the Dark Lord. You have never doubted me before Shimiko"

"Never!" Shimiko cried out as if afraid that Mora could even conceive of that as being a possibility. Her anger and frustration was smothered with feelings of regret. Had she committed a damnable act of heresy by even thinking in disapproving terms?

"Good. I will hear no more of it. I've heard enough from your husband Vik and I will not be lectured in my own study"

For the first time since she entered the Church, Shimiko turned to her husband. She rose from her kneeling position and stared at him. The man was uncomfortable. She could tell that he did not think highly of Mora's plans. He had sacrificed a good deal of Chinoike Clansman and he'd need to answer to the Elders for this madness. However, he also knew that now was not the time to start questioning Lady Mora. Definitely not in Shimiko's presence. He averted his eyes from the piercing blue of his wife's. She now had someone to direct her rage and frustration at. Mora in a single sentence had turned Shimiko's anger against him and if he wanted to avoid the worst of it, he would be wise to agree with her at every opportunity moving forward.

Mora gestured to an empty seat between the two of them. Shimiko obeyed. Mora then showed Shimiko a written list of demands. The Orthodoxy would in turn make several concessions. Chief among them was that Sacristan Lee-hei would be turned over to Kumo's authorities due to his role in provoking the battle. Mora herself had not given the order, Lee-hei did. Shimiko was smart enough to know that as polemic as the Dean of Sacristans could be, he would never take such an action without Mora's blessing. Shimiko guessed that he was fine with being the sacrificial lamb for the State if it meant that the Church could sink its claws deeper into the country. He had longed for this for many years and was probably honored that Mora was using him as a pawn to further the organization's interests.

Shimiko scanned the list and her heart sank. Nariko would never agree to these terms. They were outrageous on their face. If Shimiko could not get Nariko to agree to them prior to Battle of the Administrative District, then there was no way she could get the Raikage to agree to them now. Shimiko knew what Mora was really asking of her. She wanted Nariko's unconditional surrender. Of course the Sandaime Raikage would never give it, which meant the duty of disposing her would fall on Shimiko's shoulders. She resolved not to cry in front of her husband. She didn't want to make it look like a big deal but as politically savvy as he was, he knew what was being asked of his wife. Unfortunately, due to Mora's hold on her, he was utterly powerless to stop it.

Mora was asking Shimiko to murder the woman who had been more of a mother to her than Celestia ever was. Unable to keep her composure, Shimiko threw caution and dignity to the wind. She fell to her knees weeping and begging Lady Mora to give her more time. To hold off on such a drastic play for power. It was humiliating to have Vik see her grovel, but before the might of the Lady Superior Shimiko was only an insect. If there was a chance that her pleas would be heard then Shimiko was willing to take that risk.

The Superior Sacristan would not budge. The terms had been delivered to her by Jashin himself. There was no other way. Either Nariko would accept the Church's leadership over the State, or she and those who were loyal to her would perish. She could sense the weakness and lack of resolve on the part of her Defender. Shimiko was eternally loyal to her and the Church, but she was also loyal to her family. Mora knew that pushing too hard might break the girl and that might be bad for the Orthodoxy. And so she held out a glimmer of hope to the young woman she had groomed for so long.

"Shimiko, you've seen and heard many miracles lately....I've already heard about Seigi. He's been returned to you. This was our Lord's doing although I don't need to tell you that. You have suffered and lost quite a bit over these past few years. Your reward is nigh...I have seen it Shimiko. Sainthood. The position you've strived for for so long is just on the horizon. I and the other Sacristans can feel it.....but you are still tethered to your passions. Not too long ago, you've asked me to look into ways to increase your power. I've studied from the tomes of those who have came before me and with a bit of inspiration from a certain family member of mine, I think I have found what you are looking for. But there is only one way to obtain such a power...."

Shimiko looked up to her Dear Leader with tears in her eyes.

"What?"
"Cloister Yourself"


Cloistering is a common religious practice among many traditionalist religions. It involves isolating one's self from the rest of the world. Eating and drinking the barest of essentials. Praying from dusk till dawn. It is said that such peaceful hermitage can bring one closer to God. The Orthodoxy, however, had a slightly different take on the practice.

In addition to the monkish lifestyle of the hermit, Jashinist cloistering required relentless and never-ending sacrifices. The Church went without ritual murder for weeks on end as every prospective piece of meat for repentance was turned over to the Church's Defender. Mora had placed Shimiko in a cave at the highest level of the Kumogakure training grounds. The area was barren and surrounded by storm clouds. The village's governance was left to Shimiko's subordinates along with a few trustworthy individuals. None acted improperly out of fear that at any time, Shimiko could come down from the mountain and wreak havoc.

While cloistered, Shimiko had also grown to know the darker side of her Chinoike heritage. Vik had assisted her on that front. He had read the long and forgotten history of the Clan and had arranged for "food" to be brought to her. The Church had selected ten individuals to have the honor of being the first victims of a Chinoike-Vampire in over several centuries. The men were solemn and proud of their sacrifice, for in giving their lives, they had only fueled her strength and faith. Shimiko spent the rest of her days fasting, sacrificing, training and praying. Entire sections of the Level Three Training Grounds were cordoned off so that Shimiko could refine her new abilities. The secrets of the Hachidora Ketsurygan came to her first. All it took was a few drops of blood and she could feel its power coursing through her veins. She could feel her body grow stronger, her range, volume, and speed of blood manipulation increasing. Finally, she could hear the bats. Talk to them even. And with enough practice, she was able to control them just as she was her own blood.

The discovery was amazing but it was nothing compared to what the Orthodoxy had led her to. In the bowels of the secret ANBU Training mountain, she had finally made First Contact with her God. Lord Jashin in the form of the Necrossiah had appeared to her in her dreams. She had slept on a straw mattress without coverings and yet she was overcome by an unbearable heat. When she opened her eyes, she could see the celestial being in all of its glory and it nearly blinded her. It didn't speak or even really acknowledge her but all the same she could feel its blessings coursing through her. The next day she was driven to sacrifice with greater intensity and fervor than she had ever experienced before. And as each body was torn asunder in Jashin's name, she could feel those blessings magnify. Streaks of Red Lighting erupted from the mountain, a new armour manifested across her skin and body, arms sprouting from her back and midsection. Of course this necessitated a few minor alterations to her armour to accommodate the new appendages (tiny slits opened with her X-Rank Sai). The lacerations were slight, delicate, and precise to an infallible degree. Enough room for them to manifest without doing undue damage, but also strategically placed so as to minimize visibility and a lack of protectiveness.

Shimiko's experience with the Necrossiah was haunting and she had only told Lady Mora about it. The Superior Sacristan prayed with her but no further apparitions of the being manifested. They had studied and prayed together for days before being blessed with a small revelation. It was during this revelation that the name of the Necrossiah's gift became known: Deshi no Zenchi-Yurei.

Shimiko spent the next few weeks perfecting it and only when she had mastered it fully, did Lady Mora declare that her cloister was at an end. In keeping with the spirit of cloistering, Shimiko had not been given any updates about the outside world. As far as she was concerned, the world began and ended in these mountains. Mora carefully curated the people that were allowed to see her Champion. Word of Ryuko's revival and Natsuru's return to Kishin had not reached Shimiko's ears. Lady Superior Mora wanted to be the first to tell Shimiko for two reasons.

The first and more practical reason was that if Shimiko heard the news from someone else she might take her anger out on them. Ryuko and Natsuru had been back for awhile and Shimiko would undoubtedly be very upset that she had not been present to receive them. Rather than risk the life of an innocent acolyte, Mora decided it was best if the news came from her.

The second and more strategic reason was so that she could frame it as Jashin's blessing. Shimiko had done as Mora commanded and had cloistered herself from the distractions of the outside world. She had received Jashin's blessing and had become so inured with his rituals that she no longer would feel hesitation or doubt when the moment of truth arrived. On her last day of cloister, Shimiko prepped all of her effects.

Her custom black melody arms were fitted and prepped ready to go at a moment's notice. There was one attached to each forearm and they each held a massive amount of Senshichi Needles. The total were split between the two Melody Arms and each needle was filled with blood. Over the course of days, she filled her Chinowakagumi Armour to absolute capacity with blood ensuring that she had a sizeable amount always on hand. Her Twin Tessen of Terror were strapped to the upper arm of her armour allowing for quick access. Likewise, the notorious X-Rank Sai, the Badgers Claws, that she had received from the Stag Emporium were holstered in a discreet pouch attached to the small of her back. Additional Sai were holstered along her spinal column as backups. There were two more pairs in total each occupying their own pouches that were along her back, not too close nor too far apart from one another. The weapons crisscrossed each other with the handles protruding outwards so that she could grab them quickly.

She had the Red Lightning and Black Lightning Seals etched into the corner of her right and left breasts respectively. She had used a technique of her own design to adjust their appearance. The Red Lightning tattoo formed the Kanji which spelled "Yui's" name and the Black Lightning tattoo formed the Kanji which spelled "Yua's" name. A constant reminder to herself and the world that her Twins would always be near and dear to her heart. The world of shinobi jeopardized their safety at its own peril. Shimiko then formed the Batroc seal on her left melody arm. It was a simple matter to call the beasts towards her using the Hachidora Ketsurygan. From there, Shimiko sealed two-hundred and fifty bats into the Batroc seal. They'd come in handy later.

The rest of her minor effects (kunai, chakra pills, shuriken, ninja wire, and the like) could be found stored in a pouch located on her hip and right thigh. The fearsome blonde was dressed and ready for battle.

She walked out of the cave and met Lady Mora at the entrance. The Superior Sacristan bore a knowing smile on her face. It was a look Shimiko knew. The woman either knew something dastardly or was up to something dastardly. Regardless, Shimiko was ready to execute her Lady's word to the letter. She bowed and gave a sincere smile.

"Lady Superior Mora...with your blessing my cloister comes to an end. And with Lord Jashin's blessing I have emerged stronger and more determined than ever! As the Defender of Faith, I am yours to command."

"That's good. Lord Jashin has heard your prayers and he has answered them in more ways than one. I have good news Shimiko and I wanted to be the one to tell you...."

Shimiko's eyes widened uncertain of what to expect. There was a lot she wanted in this world. Some of those things were far off. Others closer and more short-term. What Mora said, however, was not something that she expected in the long-term or short-term. It was an impossibility.

"Ryuko Shizu Von Rose has awoken from her coma. She is alive and well...around the same time, Natsuru Senou has returned from China. Both of them are in the village right now, and both of them can be found on Ground Two of this Training Ar-"

Mora realized a half second too late that she was talking to air. She suddenly become aware of a massive gust of wind blowing her tunic and hair in the direction that her spies had told her the Thundercats had converged at. The elderly woman smiled to herself as she kept her hands clasped behind her back. The return of the Thundercats would be both a challenge and opportunity for the Church. Shimiko's devotion to Jashin would be unmatched after this timely miracle. Unfortunately, now that she had her friends back, there was the chance they may sway her for her path of destiny. The old crone had decided that she'd let things play out. She was confident that years of mental manipulation would win out over the friendship of heretics and atheists.

Shimiko for her part had raced down the mountain and was approaching Ground Two at a speed she never thought herself capable of reaching.

Exit to Ground Two

[10 D-Rank Generic NPC drained of their blood. Hachidora Ketsurygan charged to full capacity at 100 Charges]