Prologue

Blood-thirsty.

There was never a time in the life of Yasuhara Tetsuo that this emotion was swelling harder in his heart. He sat at the giant window that adorned his office, legs spread across the window sill and eyes pointed towards the heavens. The sky was gray, hazy, overcast - the perfect mirror that reflected his darkened mood. Black clouds snaked their way through the sky and found their way atop of houses, shops, and other such buildings. The man sensed that the rain would be coming soon.

Tetsuo frowned. Neither the rain nor snow can wash my troubles away, he thought. No, only the sword can do that.

He stood up from the window and paced slowly around his office. The space where he worked was large and quaint, having a tiger wood desk sitting proudly in the center of the room and three huge windows allowing the scant amount of light to spill in. Giant red ornaments were expertly spread around the red marble floor, things such as large chimes and golden gongs, katana cases, and pearlescent paper fans. None of his ornate bronze lamps were lit yet as was the custom when the skies were crowded with clouds, but he didn't need to light any of them. His heart had enough fire surrounding it that he could probably light up the entire building. He paused at the thought. Setting something ablaze would not be such a bad idea, he reasoned.

As he continued to pace around his office, he came to the white walls on the right side of his desk and paused to stare at the map that was pasted there. It was a map of the entire shinobi continent, filled with bright color codes and bold lines that separated each nation. To the south was the Land of Fire, to the east the Land of Lightning, to the southwest was the Land of Water, and to the west, right above the Land of Wind, was his own nation, the Land of Earth. His was an earthy nation, complete with craggy mountains that seemed to climb hastily to the heavens, deep valleys and ravines that reached down into the center of the earth, and vast, grassy plains that spread its arms and welcomed all who would walk it. On the center of the map was his own city, Sekigahara, the seat of power that reigned supreme over the nation. Or at least, that's what it was supposed to be.

Tetsuo's eyes narrowed as they travelled across the map and rested on a section of mountain ranges to the west that had four dots marking cities. The Kaguya clan, he thought as he stared. The cursed Kaguya clan! He clenched his fist and forced himself not to rip the map off of the wall in a blind rage. A strong breath escaped his lips, and he turned around to rub his temples. He truly hated the Kaguya more than any other. It was the clan of bones, the wielders of the dreaded Shikotsumyaku, and the self-proclaimed protectors of the Land of Earth. They could control the calcium deposits in their bones, allowing them to push bones of any size, shape, or length from their bodies and either use them as a weapon of attack or a device of defense. Of all the clans that populated the continent, they were one of the ones that was most feared. The clan had yet to suffer a defeat in combat because of their supposed "divine" abilities, and they had taken up residence in the Land of Earth for the past 130 years, supposing that it was the Land of Bones instead.

The man suppressed a shiver that shook him to his very bone and walked back to his desk. He sat down in a heap, allowing his head to rest on his outstretched hand. His anger was consuming him more and more every day. Something had to be done, and soon. There could be no more waiting.

A soft tap on his door interrupted him from his thoughts and he sat up. "You may enter," he said, and he watched as the door slid apart. A young man with scraggly brown hair stepped in, wearing a traditional black kimono and a silver obi was wrapped around his midsection. He couldn't be more than seventeen years old, but a scar that ran from his left eye all the way down to the corner of his lip was etched painfully on his cheek. The boy walked forward with poise and grace, having the gait of a seasoned warrior. He bowed when he approached the desk.

"Daimyo-sama," he said.

"What do you have for me?" Tetsuo asked. He knew that this young man never came into the room except for something very important.

"The guest that you have asked for has arrived here today," the boy answered. "He is downstairs in the waiting room, wishing to have a word with you."

Yasuhara Tetsuo perked up in his chair with surprise. "He is here?" he exclaimed. "But how? This is two days too soon!"

The young man nodded. "He acknowledged that, Yasuhara-sama. Remember, you told him that it was urgent that he see you. And a man like him… A man like him takes urgent seriously, sir."

Tetsuo stood up from his desk and paced again. "No, this is good," he mused, "great, even! He is here now! We can start this immediately! Send for him and have him come into my office. And as soon as you find him an escort, go to the medical sanctuary and bring Kawayama Yarui to me. Tell him to have his research at the ready!"

The young man nodded and bowed once again. "Yes, my lord." He turned and walked to exit the room, but before his hand reached the door, he paused. "Daimyo-sama," he began. Tetsuo gave him a questioning stare.

"What?" he said. The young man breathed before he said his next words.

"What you are about to do… I ask that you be very careful. The result of this could be very disastrous for our nation if anything goes wrong."

Tetsuo's eyes narrowed at what he just heard. "I didn't ask for your opinion, Hisao!" he snapped. "All I asked was for you to bring our guest and Yarui, nothing more! Who do you think you are to question my motives? I should have you beheaded for such an insult!"

Hisao lowered his head. "You are right, Yasuhara-sama. I apologize for my disrespect. I was out of place. I will obey your request immediately." Hisao hurriedly opened the door and stepped out, closing it just so gently before he disappeared down the hall. Tetsuo turned around and growled angrily. The little fool was questioning his actions! How dare he! Nobody, especially not some little runt, was going to stop him from what he was about to do. Hisao better be lucky that he is a war hero, Tetsuo thought. If he was anyone else, he would be dead.

As he was lost in his thoughts, Tetsuo didn't notice that his guest had opened the door and walked into the room. The man was tall and large with long black hair tied behind his head, but his muscles were hidden beneath a red and black samurai armor suit. He didn't wear a helmet; instead, a red bandana was tied around his forehead that held his bangs in place. He watched for a second as Yasuhara mindlessly walked up and down past the desk, clearly not paying attention to his surroundings. The man cleared his throat before speaking.

"Yasuhara," he said softly. Tetsuo nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the sound of the man's voice.

"My goodness!" he exclaimed. "I didn't even see you come in!"

"Of course you wouldn't," the man retorted. "You aren't a trained warrior. I would expect nothing less from a man like you."

"And that is why I have called you in, Uchiha Nagano," said Tetsuo, faking a smile. "Please, have a seat."

Uchiha Nagano pulled up a chair and sat down. As Tetsuo sat across from him, Nagano stared him directly in the eye and held his gaze. Tetsuo couldn't hide a shiver.

"I have heard a lot about you, Uchiha-san," began Tetsuo. "At least, a lot about your clan. You have a prowess in war that is matched by none other. Around here, there is a phrase when talking about the Uchiha. It is said that when the eyes turn red, the battlefield turns red."

Nagano smirked. "I have heard that phrase as well, and I have seen it firsthand. Not many people can stand up to the Uchiha might."

Tetsuo clapped his hands. "Yes!" he responded. "Yes, that is exactly right. And it is the abilities of the Uchiha clan that excite me."

"Excite?" said Nagano, raising an eyebrow. "Yasuhara, nobody gets excited about the abilities of the Uchiha clan. Nobody. I have seen many more who are terrified of just our name, and you are standing here telling me that you are excited. I see your bluff, Yasuhara. I am not here to play games. I have travelled far away from my current battle in order to see about your affairs. Either tell me what it is that you want, or I will head back to the Land of Wind right now."

Tetsuo sighed. "My apologies, Uchiha-san. I got a little carried away. But what it is that I want from you is very urgent, and I want to be on your good side in order to see it through."

"Then tell me what it is that you need," said Nagano. Tetsuo nodded and walked back over to the map. He motioned for Nagano to come over once he was close enough. As soon as Nagano approached the wall, Tetsuo placed his hand on the Land of Earth, right on top of the western mountain ranges.

"These dots are the source of my problems," said Tetsuo. "What you see here is the home of the Kaguya clan, but they refer to themselves as the Kaguya Nation. Since the time that they have settled in our lands, they have been nothing but trouble for us."

"Trouble?" said Nagano, raising an eyebrow. "I have seen this clan in action. They are troublesome for their rivals, yes, but they shouldn't be a problem for the nation that they are residing in. Any daimyo would love to be in the position that you are, having a clan as powerful as them to fight at any time. I don't see what your problem is."

"You don't see the problem because you are not here," said Tetsuo. He pointed to the window and Nagano looked where his finger directed. "Do you see this city? At one point, they used to call my city the Pearl of the Earth. The daimyo who were before me built this land from the ground up, even before the time of The Sage of Six Paths. We are the nation in the shadows, avoiding too much conflict and never getting involved in the affairs of the other four nations. But this clan, they are claiming glory for themselves! When a person speaks of the Land of Earth, they never speak of Sekigahara or her brave defenders, but they speak of these undead fiends! I have had to sit and watch for years as they steal the glory away from this beautiful pearl and reap it for themselves. I have had enough of it, and I want them gone."

"You want them gone?" said Nagano, muscles tensing. "When you say gone, I hope you do not mean dead."

"That is exactly what I mean, Uchiha-san. I want them dead. And I need your help to do it."

Nagano paused for a moment, then straightened up his back and turned to walk away. Tetsuo caught his breath as Nagano prepared to exit through the door. Tetsuo panicked as Nagano's hand reached the walls.

"Uchiha-san!" he yelled while holding himself back from sprinting to the door. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the Land of Wind," he said quietly. "I have more important matters to attend to."

"But Uchiha-san, I need-" Tetsuo froze as a shuriken flew past his ear and lodged itself into the wall behind him. He stared at Nagano's face, which had transformed itself into a gnarled, twisted glare.

"How dare you call me away from my war for this nonsense!" Nagano screamed. "I should kill you right now for what you have done! Are you working with the Senju? Did you call me away just to give them an upper hand in the battle?"

"N-N-No!" said Tetsuo. "This is a s-s-serious request!"

"It couldn't be!" Nagano yelled. "For hundreds of years we have fought the Senju, and the wars have always ended in stalemates! Now you call me to fight another clan that is equally as powerful? You fool! What did you think that I was going to say?"

"Uchiha-san, I have a plan!" said Tetsuo. "I would not call you here if I did not have a plan or a method for you to carry out my request."

"Then show me before I kill you!" said Nagano, hand going for his sword. Tetsuo gulped. Of all of the members of the Uchiha clan, this was the one who was known for his ferocity in battle. Nagano was a man that he did not want to have as an enemy.

"A man is on his way here now that has the plan with him," said Tetsuo. "His name is Kawayama Yarui. He is the chief medical specialist here in Sekigahara. He has developed something that will be useful to you if you agree to help me."

"What is it?" asked Nagano. Before there was an answer, a soft knock was heard on the door. Tetsuo looked in the door's direction.

"Let him tell you himself," replied Tetsuo. "Yarui, come in!"

The door slid open once again, and this time an older man walked. His shoulders were slumped forward in humpback fashion, and a brown bandana was wrapped tightly around his head. On his shoulders was a black bag that hung down to his left hip and medical equipment was strapped to his right hip. The man looked up and then proceeded to bow when he saw Tetsuo.

"Daimyo-sama, you have sent for me," said Yarui.

"Yes, I have. Did you bring the plans?"

Yarui nodded and pulled out a folder from his bag. He handed it to Tetsuo while Nagano eyed the folder closely.

"These are your plans?" said Nagano. Tetsuo nodded. "This better be good. What is it?"

"A virus," said Yarui in his aged voice. "Well, two viruses. One is a plague. The other is more… specific."

"Explain," said Nagano, suddenly intrigued.

"This man has developed two viruses that you will be using to take down the Kaguya," said Tetsuo. "No man in this nation has ever created viruses in the way that Yarui has. He has taught hundreds of students, revealed to them all of his medical techniques, and even shared his extensive knowledge on the subject. But no one has ever duplicated what he has done. Yarui, tell him what you have created."

"I cannot," said Yarui, bowing respectfully. "This is top secret information that I cannot share with a man who has not agreed to help you. All that you need to know is that these two viruses, coupled with an Uchiha invasion, will be able to cripple the Kaguya clan and render them useless."

Nagano smirked. He liked the way this man operated. "These viruses… can I use them against the Senju?"

"No," said Yarui. "These viruses were created specifically for the Kaguya clan and can only bind to their bodies. They have a muscular and skeletal system that is unique and highly complicated, so these viruses would not be any use to you other than for the attack on the Kaguya."

Nagano stared at the folder and nodded his head. "This seems to be legitimate," he said. "Very legitimate indeed. I have heard rumors about biological warfare, but I thought that it was only fairytales and rumors. I like this more and more. But there is a problem."

"What?" said Tetsuo.

"How do you expect me to move Uchiha troops away from the Land of Wind here to the Land of Earth in such short notice?" he asked. "We are still locked in a war."

"I thought you would ask that," said Tetsuo. "In the eastern corner of the Land of Earth there is a sect of the Uchiha clan that lives there."

"Ah," said Nagano, smiling. "The Earth Sect. I know quite a bit about them. The Senju occupied that territory, but in a surprise attack the Uchiha wiped them all out and took the land for themselves. They have lived there since, and even though they are not a part of the main clan, they still uphold the traditional Uchiha customs."

"Exactly," said Tetsuo. "Since you know so much, you can use them to help you."

Nagano nodded. "It looks like I won't have to kill you, Yasuhara," he said. "I will agree to your request."

Tetsuo nearly clapped with joy. "I am thrilled!" he exclaimed. "I have payment plans in order for your reward-"

Nagano held up a hand. "We can worry about payment later. We have an agreement, and we will finish this discussion at another time. I will be heading to the Uchiha sect now in order to get them on my side. Yasuhara, have a nice day." Nagano turned around and exited the room, leaving the door opened behind him. Yarui chuckled.

"A man of small words," said Yarui.

"But a man of great actions," replied Tetsuo. "It won't be too long before the clan is done away with."

"Yes, daimyo-sama," said Yarui, heading for the door. "Not too long at all."

As Yarui left the room, Tetsuo walked back to the window and stared at the clouds again. A new era would be rising in the Land of Earth. A new era that he hoped would spell the beginning of his iron reign over the nation.