Chapter 1
Yoshimitsu stared down into the village, glaring at the soldiers stationed to observe the villager's activities. They carried the flag of Nobunaga.
Dogs! What audacity! As if this village is his! Nobunaga…this will be another village that I will take away from your grip!
Twilight was setting in slowly, inviting the mosquitoes to come out and feed. One hovered above the ninja's right arm, looking for a meal. Yoshimitsu swatted the insect away and adjusted his mask.
He vanished into the wind, only to reappear inside the village, face to face with a soldier.
"Wha…!"
Yoshimitsu grabbed onto the soldier's neck. Strangling him, Yoshimitsu observed carefully the man's reaction.
"Not a Genma. Fortunately for you."
He dropped him to the ground, leaving the stunned soldier to cough and gag on the dirty ground.
While still struggling to catch his breath the soldier looked into Yoshimitsu's eyes.
"You are the Demon that has been running rampant among our land, aren't you? Pillaging and slaying our men? You can not stand against our lord, Nobunaga!"
"Demon? Maybe so. Pillaging? Yes, but I pillage from the lords who oppress the people. Slaying your fellow soldiers? Well, that is only half right. To say that I have slain Nobunaga's soldiers is true. But to say that I slayed your fellow men? That I did not do."
"You won't make it out of this village alive!" The soldier blew his whistle, summoning the others to rush to his assistance, "Prepare to fight!"
On cue, a band of soldiers appeared holding rifles in their hands, aimed directly at Yoshimitsu, fingers on their triggers.
"Fire!"
Bullets flew, but as easily as he swatted away the mosquito, Yoshimitsu swatted away the bullets with his sword.
Before the soldiers could shoot another round, Yoshimitsu cut the barrels of their rifles. His lightning quick speed left the soldiers in awe.
Then swords were drawn. Yoshimitsu calmly stood in the center of their circle. His silence chilled the soldiers.
"Come and attack me if you wish. I give you permission…"
"Permission? You are in no position! Kill him!"
The band of soldiers raised their blades and stepped in quickly, but a loud, cold, and proud voice commanded them to stop.
"Stop right there!"
Yoshimitsu watched as a tall man with a thick mustache and oddly purplish-black tinted skin walked through the line of soldiers. His yellow eyes were like that of a hawk's, and when he spoke his fangs bared like a snake's.
"That's enough, men. You are dismissed." The man waved his arm and the soldiers promptly responded, leaving only Yoshimitsu to face the otherworldly man.
"I take it you are the Demon that has been a thorn in my side?"
Yoshimitsu turned to face the man face to face, "Yes. And you are Nobunaga Oda, the man who I have been such a pest to."
"Yes." The evil lord stroked his mustache.
"This village is not yours, Nobunaga. Leave now. I will kill you elsewhere after you leave."
"You are too confident for your own good, Manji ninja. That is why I killed your clan. You were too much of a risk for me to leave alive. But I see that one freak has survived."
"Damn fool. It is because of you that I have become what I am. I have seen the border between life and death, Nobunaga! I have stepped foot on that border. It has changed me. And it is all because of you, you son of evil!"
"My fault? Good. I hope you remember it. Tell me, what did you see? Did you see the Gates of Hell? Did you see Yama? Did you even see Hell itself!"
"Silence!"
"I envy you, Manji freak. I wish to set foot in Hell myself someday…"
"…Look at how far you've fallen, to have become a demon yourself…" Yoshimitsu stared intently into the lord's eyes, "…No, not a demon. You have become something more vile. You have turned yourself into a Genma!"
"Yes! Yes, I have! Do you know why? Because Genma have all the strengths of demons, but none of their weaknesses. Scrolls, sutras, incantations, any type of spell have no effect on Genma."
"You are a monster! Let's battle!"
"Gladly!" Nobunaga unsheathed his dark katana and licked his lips, "I will see you in Hell soon! Soon after these lands are stained red!"
----------
Training in a small forest outside of his hometown, Iga, was a young samurai with long, thick, unkempt black hair. His name is Onimaru, a budding samurai.
He fell down on his behind and brushed his hair out of his face and then wiped the streams of sweat flowing down his forehead. He poured the contents of his water bottle onto his face, drinking and washing at the same time. It was true, he wasn't the cleanest samurai, but he knew that to be a samurai was to fight and bleed, and as a result, get dirty, so he chose that now was the time to get used to it.
He smelled himself and immediately pulled his face away from his armpits, fanning away the stench away with his hand, "Whoo! I stink! I think it's time I wash up."
He got up and ran towards the river. He immediately stripped himself of his clothes and jumped in. He knew what everyone would've said if they saw him bathing in the river: "Onimaru! Don't bathe in the river! We fish from that river you know!" And Onimaru, as respectful and considerate as he was, would promptly get out, but now, since no one was stopping him, he began scrubbing out his pits.
----------
"Heeyah!" Yoshimitsu bounded through the air, slicing skillfully at Nobunaga, who also skillfully countered the blade. Nobunaga's skill with the katana matched the skill of Yoshimitsu and his katana, along with Yoshimitsu's experience with the Manji Ninjitsu fighting style.
Yoshimitsu's high pitched battle cries and Nobunaga's maniacal laughter reached out to the very edges of the village. The impact of their blades made sparks, lighting up their faces for a short second before they died out and the night shadows cloaked them again.
Yoshimitsu leapt back and halted his attack to wait for a better opening, "I see. If you were a regular man, you would have fallen to Yoshimitsu by now."
"Perhaps." Nobunaga grinned and assumed a new stance, standing sideways, holding his sword horizontally in front of his face, ready to strike and pierce with a quick, snake-like thrust. "Taste the Genma Blade!" He ran, still in stance, and struck with a quick stab, piercing Yoshimitsu's heart and leaving a hole in his chest.
But strangely, no blood squirted out of the wound.
Then, from behind, Yoshimitsu reappeared with a modified cartwheel, almost backflip, kick. He hit Nobunaga on the top of his skull, stunning the lord for a moment. Yoshimitsu followed with a lunging, spinning headbutt, knocking Nobunaga back off his feet. He landed on his back and looked on as he saw Yoshimitsu take flight.
Yoshimitsu was spinning his blade above his head, magically lifting him into the sky. "You fight viciously, Nobunaga. But as always, a raging fire becomes dying embers!"
Yoshimitsu assumed his famously known stance which he named, the Sword Pogo. He came flying back down to the ground like a large needle. He came right at Nobunaga's dark heart.
Nobunaga, however, had a trick up his sleeve. Just as Yoshimitsu was about to pierce his heart, Nobunaga disappeared in a puff of black smoke, leaving Yoshimitsu to pierce his katana into the ground.
As quick as lightning, Nobunaga reappeared beside the ninja. Yoshimitsu couldn't react quickly enough. By the time he noticed it, Nobunaga had placed a hand on his chest. His hand began to glow black and dark smoke flowed from his palm.
Nobunaga smiled maniacally, showing his stained yellow fangs, "Absolute Death!"
Yoshimitsu felt his heart go numb, and he felt something trying to exit his body.
Nobunaga thrust Yoshimitsu away with his arm, throwing him across the ground.
Yoshimitsu clutched his chest, trying to ease the pain in his heart and subside the force that tried to exit him. He felt his heart stopping slowly.
Nobunaga approached the ninja, holding his sword like an executioner would hold his blade, "Do you see? If you were any normal human, that technique of mine would have ripped away your soul from your body. But you are not. You are a demon." He raised his katana, ready to strike the final blow.
With his last reserve of strength, Yoshimitsu got to his knees and tried to block the attack.
"Ayaaaah!" Yoshimitsu screamed as his right arm was sliced clean off. He jumped onto his feet and desperately made an attempt to fend off the bloodthirsty lord. He quickly leapt backwards and retreated. He began spinning. Then he started to spin faster and faster, splashing blood from his armless shoulder onto Nobunaga's face. In an instant, he disappeared with a bright flash of light.
Nobunaga left the splattered blood on his face. He liked the warm feeling of the blood. He caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye children peering out through their window at him. He licked his fangs.
"Iga is mine…"