In a cave in the side of the volcano was a shrine to honor Kazan's deity Prometheus. Once a year there was a festival held to honor the fire god and offerings were made to see if he would grant wishes to them. After the destruction the altar was still kept intact, yet none had ever dared step foot in it again after the destruction of Kazangakure many years before. Inside this cave this night however was a man, clad in all black, wearing a cloak and a dark hood over his face. To his left hip was a katana, firmly in its all-white sheathe, while on his back was another, this one a blood red color with the words "Hope is not a strategy." etched on to both respective sides of it.

All Syn could remember was the valiant cries of the many who died against the highly-volatile Nine Tails and a large explosion. Other than those vivid pictures replaying in his memory as he continued his attempt at remembering anything more current, nothing more recent remained. Continuing to rack his mind, Syn began thinking to himself.

Where the hell am I? What day is it? And how did I end up here?

Syn held no recollection of how he ended up where he was, only the fighting that had all-too-abruptly ended, in his mind, the night before. In reality an entire year had passed and as the Kanetsukage, Syn held no memory of being away from his people for so long. What he also didn't know was that he had in fact acquired a new level of power due to the massive explosion he partially remembered.

Standing up in the dimly lit cave, Syn snapped out of his reverie. As soon as he got to his feet however, he felt it. A sudden surge in strength and his eyes popped wide open, revealing two glowing red eyes with red marking spreading from his left eye, down his cheek and across his nose, indicating the awakening of his Kekkei Genkai.

Whoa, I feel good.

Grabbing ahold of the katana latched onto his left hip, Syn got into a Battoujutsu stance where he remained in a squatting position as his left foot stood behind him and his right in front. He released his hold on his katana, only just keeping his right hand hovering closely above its snowy hilt and then within the blink of an eye, Syn grabbed ahold fiercely and released a swipe of his blade that would have cut a fully-grown man clean in two.

As a matter of fact, Syn thought looking at both his hands after sheathing his blade, I feel REALLY good.

He quickly scanned the cave with his Doujutsu, revealing no entities with beating hearts within, besides he himself. After making certain he couldn't be snuck up on, Syn's eyes regained their normal brownish hue. Taking a path he assumed led him outside due to the noisiness of the storm's fury, Syn stopped at the very entrance, peering out into the rain as thunder screamed loudly and lightning crackled every few seconds. Glancing back down at his hands for a second time, Syn thought to himself once again.

I may not have all of my memories intact, but what I know for sure is that my nation needs my strength more than ever and I will slaughter any who would do harm.

The reaper was back and now possessed an entire heightened tier of resolve.

Word Count ~ 560