"I'll distract him." Shirou whispered.
"No," Tsuki said. "I'll go since I need you to watch over Reiko and the team if things go awry."
Shirou bit back a remark, but conceded to Tsuki, the mission leader.
Faint blue chakra engulfed the sole's of Tsuki's feet before she began walking up the cave's walls, making sure to suppress the sounds of her steps. A shudder ran down her back as a droplet of water from an overhead stalactite dripped across her face. She paused, calming the tenseness in her body, then proceeded to walk on the ceiling. Signaling to Shirou with her eyes, she took cover behind the spiraled forms of the stalactites and disappeared from sight.
Shirou bit down hard on his lower lip and glowered in frustration. He knew that following orders is what is expected of shinobi, but damn it all! He didn't want to sit still while his life-long caretaker puts herself in a postion of danger. Silent whimpers enter his ears, and he soon finds his mind drifting away from the matter at hand.
Shirou turned around and placed a comforting hand on Reiko's shoulder. She winced in pain and instinctively drew away from Shirou's hand. Haru was by her side in an instant, face full of concern.
"Sorry," Shirou said as he drew his hand away. "I didn't intend to hurt you."
"N-No, its my fault for flinching." Reiko said frantically, masking all her pain behind a grimaced smile.
Shirou clenched his hands into fists, and weighed a heavy decision in his mind. His grandfather Hideki had sworn him to secrecy about his abilities until a time it could be better understood, and yet he had also sworn to his father to do all in his power for family and friends; it was the Uzumaki way, a way he chose to live by. Now that he thought about it, there was no more need for hesitation. He was Shirou Emiya, a man who sought to save all. He was Shirou Uzumaki, the beloved heir of Uzushio. Since when did he ever question the consequences of helping others! Since when would he hesitate!
Shirou stretched a hand forward.
Mei widened her eyes as she recalled Shirou performing a similar action.
"Trace on." Shirou incanted.
In a faint burst of light, a copy of wound healer appeared in Shirou's hand.
"L-Life saver?" Haru asked startled.
Shirou nodded his head and promptly walked past Haru and Mei, and walked over to the wide-eyed Reiko.
"You already know how this works." Shirou said.
Reiko was to shocked to react as wound healer pierced through her flesh, healing her injuries near instantly. Drawing wound healer out of Reiko, Shirou willed it to fade away in flecks of blue light.
"H-How did you..." Reiko failed to express her astonishment.
"I'll explain later." Shirou said. "We don't have time right now."
Shirou locked eyes with everyone present. They nodded back in understanding.
"Since your wounds are healed, I don't think Tsuki would mind if we go back her up." Shirou said.
"I agree." Mei concluded. "We were raised to fight as a team. What good would it be if we hid away while one of us is put in danger?"
"Exactly." Shirou said. "Not what I had in mind, but it still delivers the point."
Haru surveyed Reiko for any abnormalities before steadying his resolve. He would protect his sister like his father and mother had protected him and Reiko.
"Lets go!"
Chakra laced up their legs, and together they disappeared within the cave's hanging stalactites.
"Nagato, are you sure they went this way?" Yahiko asked.
"I'm sure." Nagato Uzumaki said while rolling his grey eyes. Like all Uzumaki, Nagato had a distinct shade of red hair that fell untidily over his Uzu head band which was hidden behind the brown cloak he wore to conceal himself from enemy shinobi. His black sandals echoed out through the cave as he stepped in first.
Having joined the Uzumaki-Konoha attack force, Nagato was injured and separated from the other Uzumaki after a group of elite Ame shinobi and Hanzo of the Salamander himself, ambushed the main force. It was only due to the Uzumaki's extensive fuin jutsu that the main force survived for so long. However, Hanzo was a monster. He alone annihilated the majority of the main force with his poison laced Kusarigama and summoned salamanders. It was a miracle that Nagato had stumbled upon Yahiko and Konan when he did, otherwise he too would have died.
Being a shinobi of Ame did not necessarily mean absolute loyalty to Hanzo of the Salamander, but rather obedience. Power breeds animosity, but animosity is stomped out by power. Therefore many Ame shinobi do not follow Hanzo out of loyalty, but out of fear. Yahiko and Konan, two Ame shinobi trained by Jiraya of the Sannin, for example do not agree with Hanzo's spartan rule.
Konan's amber eyes surveyed the interior of the cave, her features hardening as she felt the paper bird she had sent out on reconnaissance get destroyed by Hanzo's shinobi. Cooly, she turned her head to face Yahiko and Nagato, her short, straight blue hair sliding across her eyes.
"We need to hurry." Konan said.
Yahiko nodded, sending small droplets of rain out of his spiked bright orange hair. He, unlike Nagato and Konan, did not wear a cloak. Instead he had on a pair of standard issue Ame shinobi wear that included a fishnet body vest and a loose brown yukata.
"How do you expect us to search this entire cave?" Yahiko answered Konan back as he motioned with his arms to the sheer size of the cave.
Konan sighed, pulled on her grey cloak, and promptly scattered thousands of pieces of tiny paper.
"This should do it." Konan said.
With a flick of a hand, every single piece of paper shot forth into the cave. It was only a moment later when Konan narrowed her eyes upon the roof and tossed a kunai towards it.
Steel met steel in a clang of vibration. Tsuki tsked and landed quietly on the ground, a kunai held in reverse grip in her hand.
Nagato moved forward, his gaze meeting with Tsuki's.
"Not another step forward," Tsuki said threateningly. "Or I set off the seal you are standing on."
Nagato glanced down, and sure enough, a seal was crudely drawn on the ground beneath him.
"W-Wait just a moment." Nagato sputtered as he made to remove the hood of his cloak. "We're not your enemies."
Warily, Tsuki eyed Nagato as he began to pull down his hood. Far too many times she remembered being scolded by her sensei to never trust in her enemies, or at least to question everything that they did. Call her teacher paranoid, but one does not live as long as her teacher had without following very important shinobi rules based on experience. Furthermore, she was currently out numbered three to one. It was with this in mind that she brought her hands into a hand seal to activate her fuinjutsu before Nagato could pull down his hood.
The seal beneath Nagato thrummed with chakra, its glow illuminating the dimness of the cave. Startled, Nagato hastily brought his hands into his own seal as a pillar of earth accelerated him towards the ceiling.
"Nagato!" Yahiko yelled before glaring at Tsuki. "He just wanted to talk to you! Why the hell did you do that!"
Tsuki swallowed as she admitted to herself that what she had done was underhanded, but she had inexperienced shinobi to protect. Coldly, she stared back at Yahiko, her hands reaching back for her fuinjutsu scrolls.
"Not another move."
A blade of paper pressed itself against Tsuki's neck, Konan appearing in a flutter of papers beside her.
While Yahiko had maintained Tsuki's attention, Konan had sent a single sheet of paper to circle around Tsuki's back. From there, she substitued herself with the paper and into the current situation.
Blood dripped down Tsuki's neck, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Not very confident anymore are you?" Konan said.
Tsuki bit back her growing apprehension and responded back defiantly.
"Do it." Tsuki said. "The others who came with me already escaped. I have fulfilled my duty."
Konan raised a delicate brow. She was not expecting that kind of reaction. Briefly, she glanced back up towards the roof of the cave and made up her mind.
"Then so be it."
With a twitch of Konan's finger, the paper blade made to cut along the base of Tsuki's neck, but a shout drew Konan's attention before the deed was done.
"I suggest you release her before I freeze his balls off!" Reiko shouted as frost permeated from her hand looming threateningly over Yahiko's manhood.
"Or, I could melt it off." Mei added off-handedly.
Shirou and Haru who were detaining Yahiko with threads of shinobi wire winced in phantom pain.
Konan stared back blankly, her eyes drifting back and forth between Reiko and Mei, and a pleading Yahiko.
"...And I care why?"
"Konan! You can't be serious!" Yahiko yelled in panic.
"But it would make sure that you don't become a pervert like Jiraya sensei." Konan replied, face scarily stoic.
"And you'd have me become a cripple!" Yahiko yelled.
Reiko sweat dropped as the tense atmosphere dissipated as if it was all just a bizarre case of genjutsu.
"Alright, that's enough."
Nagato pulled himself from beneath a pile of rubble, his cloak matted with dirt and grime. Scanning the present situation, Nagato sighed in exasperation before turning to Tsuki.
"I suppose Chiho-sensei taught you well." Nagato said.
Tsuki's eyes widened. Chiho Uzumaki was Tsuki's teacher. The one who taught her the life of a shinobi, and the one who showed her kindness when she needed it most. Sadly she passed away in her old age.
"H-How did you..."
"If you had given me the chance earlier you would have understood."
Nagato pulled down the hood of his cloak to reveal the Uzumaki's signature red hair.
"I too was a disciple of Chiho Uzumaki, Nagato Uzumaki."
Tsuki blushed in embarrassment.
"S-Sorry," Tsuki stammered. "I should have been more patient."
"No problem." Nagato said as his face turned grim. "However, the situation is quite dire. I'll explain it to you all later, but for now we must go somewhere safe."
Tsuki nodded in the affirmative.
Noticing the lack of hostility from Tsuki, Konan let her go before motioning to Shirou and Haru to let Yahiko go. Upon being freed Yahiko took a breath of relief, and soon after began looking at Konan with a betrayed look.
"Yahiko and Konan have a hide out a hundred and thirty two paces south from here in an abandoned village." Nagato said. "We'll go there."
"Lead the way." Tsuki said.
"So why are you helping us?" Shirou asked Yahiko as Konan, Nagato, and Tsuki discussed the events prior.
"Mah, out of good will I suppose." Yahiko said as he yawned.
"No shinobi ever does something for no gain." Shirou argued, recalling his training with Hideki.
"I suppose your right, but then again its a matter of principle here. Either you die of hunger, battle, and extreme oppression, or join Hanzo's shinobi corps." Yahiko stared blankly up at sky releasing its never ending rain and clenched his hands into fists. "It was hard you know, for me and Konan to live in such conditions. We tried to grow crops- they died within a week. We begged, but got nothing. Finally, all that was left was to pillage loot off of the bodies of dead shinobi. It worked for the most part, but...it wasn't enough."
Shirou frowned.
"It was lucky for us that Jiraya of the Sannin took us in, albeit with some reluctance from his companions. Fed and trained, we became strong. Fed and trained, we sought out for a dream," Yahiko stretched a hand out towards the sky. "To cease the never ending rain and blood shed caused by the war. But to do that we need help."
Shirou put two and two together.
"Uzu's." Shirou stated.
"You catch on quick." Yahiko said with a smile. "Iwa, Konoha, and Suna, three of the five great shinobi villages, surround Ame. To ask one for help would be inviting more blood to be shed. The world is at war and Ame is the battle field. If Ame sided with either one, the other two shinobi villages would crush us before giving a geographical advantage to another. Which is where Uzu comes in."
Shirou nodded his head. Uzu is located an entire country away, far past the borders of fire country. It would have little to gain by helping Ame, but Uzu's the only other shinobi village strong enough to help.
"So by helping us, you wish to garner a debt from Uzu?" Shirou inquired.
"We do not wish to garner a debt, but rather to sprout a seed of friendship, however small it may be." Yahiko said.
"Then your already on the right track." Tsuki walked into the room, Konan and Nagato following behind her. "Tsuki Uzumaki."
Tsuki held out her hand for a hand shake while approaching Yahiko.
"Yahiko." Yahiko said as he clasped Tsuki's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you without threat to my balls."
"The feeling's mutual," Tsuki said. "But I also think it would be appropriate to untie Mei and Reiko from that chair now. I believe you've extracted enough petty revenge."
Yahiko smirked at Reiko and Mei who glared back in return. Normally, they would be able to break out of simple rope, but that rope was fortified by seals Nagato had created several days prior in case of emergencies. As to why Nagato hadn't deactivated them, it was because he can't. Made as a sign of trust to Yahiko and Konan, he made the seals out of their own blood a couple days after his rescue. Which meant only they had the key to deactivate it.
"In a bit. Besides, I don't think their input would benefit this conversation." Yahiko said with a wink.
Tsuki pondered for a moment and remembered how loud her group can get.
"That is acceptable."
"Good. Then let us proceed with Nagato's promise." Konan said as she took a seat next to Shirou.
"Promise?" Tsuki said as she furrowed her brows.
Nagato scratched sheepishly at the back of his head.
"Well you see," Nagato began as he locked eyes with Tsuki. "I kind of promised Yahiko and Konan that they could live in Uzu while I teach them fuinjutsu to help them with their plans of changing Ame for the better."
"Wait a sec." Shirou said. "It's not that I disagree with the promise, but even if you learn fuinjutsu, how do you plan on defeating Hanzo? Since Hanzo is the current leader of Ame, I don't believe he'd take to well to two Ame shinobi leaving for Uzu."
"We'll know when we get to that point." Yahiko insisted offhandedly.
Shirou laughed as Yahiko's attitude slightly reminded him of how his guardian Fujimura Taiga acted on a day before she had to prepare for tests. It was never pretty, but Shirou just knew that it would workout...Somehow.
Tsuki gasped while Mei and Reiko who were bound in ropes could only gape. Was Shirou really laughing without his mother around to liven the atmosphere? Was Yahiko even that funny?
"You." Tsuki glowered. "I demand for you to tell me the means to accomplish that which has never been seen before!"
"What?" Yahiko said in mild confusion.
"Don't you 'what' me!" Tsuki pointed at a bewildered Shirou. "That, how did you make him do that?"
"Enough of this nonsense." Konan interjected. "Were beginning to go off track."
Tsuki cleared her throat and leaned back to keep a close eye on Yahiko. Things were not over, not by a long shot, but for now, Tsuki knew there were more important things to discuss.
"I believe that Nagato's promise can be fulfilled easily enough." Tsuki said with a shrug. "If not, you can always say you helped rescue the clan head's son, Shirou here, and our team."
Nagato sighed in relief. Truth be told, he didn't know what he could possibly do had Tsuki and Shirou not agreed with him. Then again, he owed a life debt to Yahiko and Konan for rescuing him off of the battle field. And if anything, an Uzukami always fulfills their debts- One way or another.
"So what's our plan of escape then?" Shirou asked.
In response, Konan drew a map from a worn shelf and unrolled it for everyone to see.
"Hanzo and his shinobi unit blindsided the main force of the Konaha-Uzu team at Iwatani pass over here as they made to pursue the fleeing Iwa army." Yahiko said as he pointed to an icon of a wooden gate. "It was rather unfortunate really, Hanzo had no intention of attacking the Konoha-Uzu force to aid Iwa, but rather he wanted to secure Iwatani pass which the Konoha and Uzu force had set up as a strong hold after driving back Iwa's forces."
"But why Iwatani? Isn't that just a trade route?" Tsuki said.
"It isn't simply just a mere trade route, it's where Hanzo cultivates a rare breed of poison flower. Although not as lethal as Hanzo's own specialized poison, the flowers have the added bonus of delayed effects and high transmission rate; perfect for subjugating the numerous pockets of resistance groups across Ame. And at Iwatani therein lies our escape."
"Iwatani? But didn't you just mention that Hanzo has already reoccupied it?" Shirou asked.
Konan nodded grimly to Shirou's question.
"Unfortunately for us, the answer to that question is yes. However it's our only chance out of Ame. You see, after you were discovered by the Iwa forces a thousand paces South-East of Iwatani pass, not only have you alerted Iwa of your presence, but Hanzo now knows of your presence as well." Konan said with a frown. "Patrols are now at a routine high for both the Iwa shinobi and Ame shinobi since neither wants us to get out of Ame; the risk of us alerting Konoha or Uzu of what transpired in Ame, to great a risk to take. As such, we're trapped."
Yahiko cleared his throat and drew in everyone's attention.
"Here's the plan." Yahiko said seriously. "Hanzo's rare breed of poison flower only grows in the underground riverbank of Hitsumi River which runs beneath Iwatani pass. We will escape by riding along Hitsumi River's raging currents which will lead us near Tanzaku Gai in Fire Country. From there we go to Konoha and hitch a ride on the express highway to Uzu. Questions?"
"Why would Ame shinobi not want for us to escape?" Mei asked grumply.
"I believe its because Konoha and Uzu would deploy more shinobi into Ame." Shirou answered simply.
"Why does it sound like the Iwa and Ame forces have joined up?" Reiko asked.
"A feeble truce for a common motive." Nagato said. "I suspect that after we're found, the Iwa and Ame forces will clash. Either that, or they betray each other first. For now we shou-"
"-Patrol!" Haru yelled as he entered through a window of the abandoned building they took refuge in.
"Nagato! Shirou!" Tsuki yelled.
"Already on it." Nagato said.
"Same." Shirou replied as he and Nagato formed seals in their hands.
"Fuin!"
Sealing characters stemmed from an intricate seal written on the wall outside the house. The letters shot out in tendrils and formed a sphere over the house before moments later, disappearing. From an outside perspective, it wasn't just the sealing characters that faded away, so too did the house.
No one spoke, their eyes pointed in the direction where Haru came from as they all suppressed their chakra signatures. Not a moment later, a group of Ame shinobi passed them by. Releasing a suppressed sigh, Nagato gathered everyone's attention.
"We shouldn't wait any longer. It's only going to be a matter of time before a patrol inadvertantly stumbles in on our location. Either by running into it, or noticing the discrepancy with the other nearby buildings." Nagato said.
"Then lets go!" Yahiko said energetically as he stood up and began to leave.
"Ahem." Tsuki coughed into her hands while motioning over to Mei and Reiko.
"...Right." Yahiko released Mei and Reiko. "Now lets go!"
Yahiko left the room while Konan could only shake her head before leaving along with him. Shirou and the others soon followed.
Shirou traveled in relative silence as he lingered near the back of the group. Gingerly, he fingered the hilts of Kanshou and Bakuyo which he traced before hand, and hung them by his waist. As his first big mission outside of Uzu, Shirou couldn't say that he wasn't exited; he would be lying otherwise. He kept his eyes wide to survey his surroundings. Nothing really seemed to be out of place in his peripheral vision of Ame's landscape, and that is what he found to be odd.
Despite being relatively two hundred paces South of Iwatani pass, they had yet to encounter any patrols. Hanzo was a clever shinobi, he must be plotting something. That, or he decided to betray and drive off the Iwa shinobi from Ame. Yet, Shirou had no definite answer.
"Stop." Tsuki said. "This seems to easy."
"All the more reason to get it over and done." Mei said.
"Its probably a trap." Shirou said. "I'll send a shadow clone to scout."
"Make sure you henge your shadow clone." Nagato said. "It would be fine if an Uzumaki attacked an Iwa shinobi, but it would be a different matter if an Uzumaki attacked an Ame shinobi. After all, it would give Hanzo a motive to garner ill will with Uzu; not that he won't garner any from attacking us in the first place, but he could argue that it was to free Ame from foreign shinobi."
Shirou nodded his head as he thought carefully of a suitable disguise. It was a moment later that his face lit up with a calculative look.
"I've got it." Shirou said.
Shirou brought his hands into the shadow clone seal, and instantly smoke filled the area.
"HAHHAaahahhha. Nothing but Fools and Weaklings!" Short blue spiky hair peaked out from beneath a tied Kiri-headband. "So scared of a mere ambush? Pathetic." A rugged face with a grid-like tattoo sneered in utter disgust and loathing.
Mei tensed and shakily drew out a kunai which she held in a white knuckled grip. Reiko and Haru paled as they both remembered the blood purge in Kiri. The subsequent shifting of steel, verified to all present that Mei had not been the only one to draw out a weapon.
"W-Who are you?" Mei stuttered, momentarily forgetting the current circumstances.
"Me? HEhhehehh. I'm a monster of the mist." The fading smoke surrounding the man seemed to morph itself into a skull even as the rain continued to pour down. "Seven Swordsman of the Bloody mist," In one fell sweep, a ginormous blade with a circle close to the top and a semi-circular one nearer the handle cleared away the smoke. "Makoto the Manslayer, and this blade here, is Kubikiribōchō."
Frost laced itself around Haru and Reiko's hands as pointed icicles manifested into the air.
"Y-You killed father!" Haru yelled in anger.
Makoto smiled savagely.
"But of course. He was a carrier of tainted blood...just like his spawn." Makoto said.
"Shirou, that's enough!" Tsuki yelled.
"I haven't done anything though." Shirou argued from his position by Nagato who had a sealing scroll ready. His face was set into a frown. "Give it a second, I think my clone is just getting used to Makoto's speaking and body patterns."
"But you've never met the person." Tsuki said.
Shirou remained quite and hoped Tsuki wouldn't pry any further.
After a moment, Makoto stopped moving and stared fixedly at Shirou.
"I suppose you want me to go now boss?" Makoto asked.
"Yeah, make sure you stay in character." Shirou said.
"Will do."
Makoto faded away with a splash of water, leaving the rest thoroughly confused.
Haru and Reiko fell down as if their strings were cut, their already pale complexions going another shade paler. Mei however, could only stare curiously at Shirou's direction, a multitude of questions surfacing within her mind.
Tsuki just sighed as Nagato who was beside her, put away his sealing scrolls.
"That," Yahiko said. "Is what I call unexpected. Hey, lets get ourselves out of the rain for a bit. Perhaps beneath those rocks over there?"
The mood lightening up a bit, the group moved to where Yahiko suggested.
"Hanzo-sama," An Ame shinobi said. "We have detected an enemy shinobi nearing Iwatani pass like you predicted, but..."
"But what?" Hanzo inquired thoughtfully.
"It's a Kiri shinobi, Makoto the Manslayer nonetheless."
Hanzo's eyes widened, as he released a breath through his helmet-like respirator which he wore to keep his poison at bay.
"Preposterous," Hanzo said as he stood up, letting his waist length blond hair tangle with his wet suit like outfit that he wore. "Kiri should have no motives to be present in Ame...But the possibility that Makoto has gone rogue is still present."
"Should I order an attack?" The Ame shinobi asked.
"No. Its to early. Send out a scout to verify his intention instead." Hanzo eyed his choice of weapon, a Kusarigama. "If they prove unpleasant, or if the situation calls for it, then we attack."
"Understood, but Hanzo-sama," The Ame shinobi lifted his head to meet Hanzo's eyes. "Do you still intend to capture the Uzumaki alive?"
Hanzo recalled his previous battle to reclaim Iwatani pass from the Konoha-Uzu intruders. Of the various barriers, chakra restraints, and explosive tags the Uzumaki were able to create in a matter of moments. Unfortunately, rather than be captured, or interrogated, they ended their lives.
"Yes, their fuinjutsu is versatile, and I find myself curious of the extent of its abilities. And for that, I need them alive. Furthermore, I don't wish for them to inform Konoha of what transpired here."
"As your will, Hanzo-sama." The Ame Shinobi exited the room.
Hanzo drew his hands behind his back and remained still. Although I may draw hostility from Uzu, this is the perfect opportunity to get a grasp of the mysteries of fuinjutsu. Hanzo thought back to his battle against an Uzumaki who utilized a fuinjutsu seal to filter Hanzo's very own poison out of the body. It has the potential to work wonders and might very well be an answer to my dream.
Sitting back on his seat, Hanzo leaned his head against his hand and waited for an opportune moment to strike.
Makoto the Manslayer was having the time of his life. Despite being a clone of Shirou, by utilizing the structural analysis of Kubikiribōchō, the clone did not only assimilated Makoto's skills and Jutsu, but his personality as well. And by immersing himself in Makoto's personality, it wouldn't be wrong to assume the clone to be the true Makoto. Speech, attire, battle preferences, all were one-hundred percent synchronized with the clone down to a heartbeat.
Makoto smiled savagly, baring his shark-like teeth to the world as he cleaved an Iwa shinobi in two with Kubikiribōchō. Blood spurted into the air in a splatter of guts and entrails. HE lived for this moment, the feeling of metal tearing through flesh and bone.
"R-Run away!"
"Fools! Don't break formation!" The unit leader yelled.
Kubikiribōchō whistled through the air, spinning so fast it appeared as nothing but a circular saw blade. Body after body fell limp on the blood infested ground. Bisected, vivisected, dismembered, it didn't matter; it was plain to see that all who had turned their backs from Makoto were dead.
The unit leader stumbled back, tripping himself on a dismembered arm.
"AHahahah. Are you scared?" Makoto approached leisurely, as he extended his arm and caught the hilt of the still spinning Kubikiribōchō. "Don't worry," Makoto disappeared within the hidden mist of his jutsu. "I'll kill you slowly."
"H-Help! Anyone plea-"
The unit leader coughed out blood, Kubikiribōchō impaling him straight through the chest.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Makoto tightened his grip on Kubikiribōchō's hilt and lifted Kubikiribōchō vertically into the air, the Unit leader still impaled. "By all means, continue."
The Unit leader could only scream in agony as his body slid further and further down Kubikiribōchō's shaft, stopping just when it reached the half circle near the hilt of the blade. Smiling cruelly, Makoto swung Kubikiribōchō with all his might, cleaving the long dead Unit leader in two and subsequently dispelling the mist enveloping the area.
There was a reason Makoto was known as the Manslayer. Corpses littered the area, haphazardly strewn againts nearby rock and the hard ground. The area could only be described as nothing but a blood-field, and Makoto basked in its unholy glory. He had been lucky to stumble across a patrol of Iwa shinobi hiding themselves between the narrows of two abandoned houses. From there began the slaughter.
Briefly, Makoto caught sight of movement to his far right, and felt the cold steel of a kunai graze across his chest, drawing blood. He peered out curiously as an Ame shinobi stepped out into his blood-field.
"So you truly are Makoto the Manslayer." The Ame shinobi said while looking at the various corpses in disgust. "The fact that you didn't explode in smoke signifies your not a clone."
Makoto brought Kubikiribōchō to a rest atop his right shoulder and grinned at the Ame shinobi; The wonders reinforcement could do for a clone.
"In the flesh." Makoto said.
"What is your business here?" The Ame shinobi demanded.
"Well, I'm here for this, and here for that, but what makes you think I would possibly give out mission details from Kiri to a no name like you?" Makoto inquired.
"Because this no name has the ability to bring about your end." The Ame shinobi threatened, eyes making contact with his fellow colleagues in the distance.
"Twenty-three," Makoto said suddenly, his eyes widening in glee. "Twenty three more to kill!"
Involuntarily, the Ame shinobi took a step back in shock. It was impossible. How could the exact number of Ame shinobi lying in wait be so easily noticed. It was simply preposterous.
"I smell your fear, your indecision. How could I possibly know of my supposed attackers?" Makoto turned his head to all the corpses lying on the ground and laughed. "How could I possibly know the difference between the exact number of corpses I've desecrated this land with?"
The Ame shinobi tensed, his hands drawing out a kunai from his shinobi pouch.
With a deft move, Makoto threw Kubikiribōchō mere inches away from the Ame shinobi. A scream filtered through the air, as sweat dripped down the Ame shinobi's brow.
"Did you not think I wouldn't notice a surplus to the amount of bodies I've littered this land with?" Makoto sneered in mild amusement. "Your ten, no; a thousand years to early to think you can deceive my eyes, you conceited brats!"
A hand uselessly clasped, the Ame shinobi's ankle.
"H-Help me." Pleaded what should have been a corpse.
Kubikiribōchō was lodged horizontally through the chest, nearly bisecting the entire body. Furthermore, Kubikiribōchō was firmly stabbed into the ground so any attempts at removing the blade would cause instant death.
The Ame shinobi could do nothing but watch as one of his comrades died before his eyes. In a fit of anger, the Ame shinobi tagged a commandeered Uzumaki explosive tag onto Kubikiribōchō and broke the sword from the shaft with a condensed explosion. Kubikiribōchō's hilt went flying back to Makoto who stared at it blankly.
"...That was for Mayuri." The Ame shinobi said silently. "I can see now that you are indeed a threat to Ame. And based on the direction your headed, Kiri must be after Hanzo-sama's poison flower."
Within the field of corpses Makoto had created, twenty-two blood covered Ame shinobi appeared with weapons drawn.
"Well to bad," The Ame shinobi continued. "Even if you somehow defeat all us, there will be more who will come and kill you, so I suggest you leave."
Makoto ignored the Ame shinobi and sighed. "You just had to break my sword didn't you?" Makoto knelt on the ground, jabbing the hilt of Kubikiribōchō into a pool of blood. "There is a reason why I create a field of blood when I fight," Piece by piece, Kubikiribōchō began assembling itself once again. "Kubikiribōchō draws from the iron found in blood to repair itself, leaving no signs of damage. There isn't ever a moment where this blade isn't sharp enough to cleanly sever heads in one fell swoop."
The team of Ame shinobi gulped.
"You seemed confused. Why am I telling you this perhaps? HEhehehhe." Makoto brought his left leg forward, his left hand in front of his chest, and right hand wielding a repaired Kubikiribōchō behind his back. "Well, dead men tell no tales!"
With inhuman speed, Makoto lunged straight into the fray even as a hail of kunai and water jutsu pressed him on all sides. Mist once again enveloped the battle field in a thick haze. HE lived for that moment, the moment where his blood runs cold, and his heart beats madly. After all, to live is to fight!
Shirou opened his eyes as Makoto's memories filtered through his mind. Makoto had blown up in smoke after sustaining to much damage, but not after unleashing his strongest water jutsu to sweep away the remaining ten of the twenty three Ame shinobi he had engaged. HE grimaced as the more unpleasant memories began surfacing within his head. True he had said for his clone to stay in character, but he didn't expect for his clone to lose himself in the act. For a moment it seemed as if the clone had fully believed it was Makoto. Shirou thought deeply as to why. Perhaps it was because the mentality of clones might be different from the original since from the moment they are created they are given the knowledge that they are clones, creating a physiological effect of sorts. Like a true magus, Shirou knew it would probably take more experimentation to truly understand.
"There was an ambush set up." Shirou said suddenly, startling the others. "And another near the entrance of the underground river. My clone didn't discover the exact numbers though."
Mei sat up from her position leaning her back against a rock, as Yahiko and the others gathered around Shirou. Although Reiko and Haru, were still wary from the previous experience, they could put it aside since Shirou was their friend.
"As expected." Tsuki said. "Yahiko, Konan, are you sure there is no other way?"
"We could try going to north to the Hidden Grass Village and then sneak our way into Fire country, but Iwa has set up a perimeter there since the beginning of the war. Although the amount stationed there may not be as significant as the perimeter Iwa has set up by Waterfall, it's still full of Iwa shinobi. The way I see it we have two options." Konan cleared her throat and raised a finger. "Face Hanzo and his platoon of Ame shinobi-"
"-Or face an army of Iwa shinobi stationed by the borders of Grass." Yahiko finished. "Personally, I'd go for Hanzo's group. We know nothing of how Iwa would react to us, but with Hanzo, Konan and I have some semblance of his tactics. Either way, were going to have to fight."
"Worst case scenario," Konan began. "Either a few of us make it, or we all die."
"Not happening." Shirou cut in with a fierceness in his eyes. "Not while I'm here."
"Shirou..." Mei said somberly. "The chances of all us making it out alive are very slim. This could very well be our last conversation with each other."
Shirou smiled warmly at everyone.
"No, it won't."
Shirou stood up, and reflected in his eyes was determination.
"I believe you are all misunderstanding me." Shirou began. "I'm not saying us dying won't happen to give anyone false hope, but merely stating the truth." Shirou scratched the back of his head as he began to feel embarrassed with all the wide-eyed gazes of the others. "B-Believe me." Shirou stuttered. "As long as I'm here, no one will die here today."
Yahiko smiled positively.
"Well, you heard the man," Yahiko said as he stood up. "None of us are dying today. So with that in mind, I think its time we depart, lest the sun sets and night falls upon us."
Hesitant, but assured by Shirou's confidence, Mei, Reiko, and Haru where the next to stand up. Tsuki shook her head from side to side while smiling wrily and standing up. Konan however, gazed intently at Shirou. Where does he draw such confidence? Konan pondered. Nothing really came to Konan's mind as she sighed before standing up to join the others.
"We may run into Hanzo you know." Konan stated without discrimination. "No matter what you have planned it's best to come up with a back up plan."
"We'll think of something should the time come." Shirou said. "And only 'if' the time comes."
Konan frowned slightly as Shirou's response only prompted her to grow more curious of Shirou's baseless confidence. Whatever it is, it must be powerful...
Konan wordlessly nodded her head.
"I'll trust you for the time being. For now, we have to hurry before the sun sets and the already dim light able to penetrate through Ame's rain clouds dims further."
Shirou raised his hand and motioned for everybody to stop.
"There, a little to the north of the underground river's entrance is the ambush." Shirou said as his reinforced eyes picked out a good one hundred Ame shinobi lying in wait. "From what I can see, there are a hundred of them."
"You can see them from this far?" Reiko asked incredulously. "We're literally a kilometer away."
Shirou shrugged.
"Now isn't the time for discussion." Shirou said. "But we do need a distraction to sneak by them. Any ideas?"
"Leave it to Haru and I." Reiko said before turning her gaze to Yahiko. "Were going to need your help."
Yahiko raised a brow, but conceded nonetheless.
The group of around a hundred Ame shinobi were on high alert, albeit with a smidgen of apprehension. They were tasked to capture the reinforcement group that Uzu had sent, but they also had to look out for Makoto the Manslayer. Previous reports had stated that he was still on the loose and very much a threat. Be that as it may, they had already dispatched as many Ame shinobi to terminate Makoto as possible without jeopardizing the ambush. Therefore, they had nothing to do but wait under the cold rain.
The winds picked up and sent shivers down their backs, but they were trained for such conditions. And yet for all of their training, the day was remarkably cold. Their breaths came out in steaming puffs of carbon dioxide as the rain droplets stuck to their clothing began to frost over. Their skin began to turn blue and their their bodies grew numb.
"What are you doing?" An Ame shinobi asked.
"Its to damn cold, I'm making a small fire." Another answered.
"Are you an idiot? You'll jeopardize our location!"
"Better than freezing to death." The Ame shinobi argued while raising a hand. "Look at my hand, I can barely move my fingers. What kind of ambush would this be if half of our men can barely grasp a kunai? Besides, even for Ame's weather, today is awfully cold; the rain doesn't help matters either."
"Certainly you have a point, but we are shinobi. Something of this level shouldn't effect us."
The two Ame shinobi remained silent before one of the two noticed something peculiar.
"Was that Ice always there?" The Ame shinobi asked, his gaze on a rectangular shaped piece of ice.
"No," The other Ame shinobi said while moving closer to inspect it. "It's so smooth, almost like looking at glass."
"Now do you see my point. It's so cold that ice has formed. I mean look around us, were literally surrounded in ice."
"What?"
"I said, were literally surrounded in ice."
Looking around the two, patches of ice had began forming everywhere. Some frozen against rocks and others matting the ground. The temperature dropped even lower, the damp clothes of the Ame shinobi hardening into ice.
"This is to strange. Ame never gets thi-" The Ame shinobi stopped talking his gaze fixated elswhere.
"What's wrong?" The other Ame shinobi asked.
"A-A fairy. There's a fairy in the ice."
True to his word, there within the ice was a beautiful girl. Her dark long hair stretched down past her shoulders and met with the pale white yukata in which she wore. Her features were delicate, her eyes cast down and seeming quite lonely. Suddenly, she looked up, her face was flushed and her hands were gripping tightly on her yukata. As suddenly as she appeared she disappeared from sight.
"...A dream." The Ame shinobi muttered in confusion.
The other Ame shinobi looked around, and gasped in astonishment.
"There! She's over there in that other mirror of Ice!"
The shouts of the two Ame shinobi drew the attention of the rest, and soon, they were all facing in the direction of the mysterious fairy.
"A threat?" One of the Ame shinobi asked as he readied a kunai.
"No wait, lets observe a bit longer. I've never seen a fairy before."
"Kai!" Another Ame shinobi yelled, thinking that the fairy was simply a genjutsu. When flooding his systems with chakra failed to disrupt the image in front of him, the Ame shinboi could conclude that it was real.
"Idiots all of you!" The commanding Ame Shinobi yelled. "There's no such thing as fairies. What we have here is an intruder. Hurry up and destroy it, we have to head back into position."
Reluctantly, an Ame shinobi rushed forward and pierced a kunai down the middle of where the ice fairy stood. Cracks formed on the Ice mirrors cold surface, spreading out like a spiders web.
The fairy's face contorted in sadness and discomfort, as if pained at being rejected. The fairy's form shimmered, as it lurched forward towards the shocked Ame shinobi. As the fairy placed its hand on the Ice mirror's surface, rather than stopping, it continued right on through and stopped as it caressed the Ame shinobi's face. Tears streamed down the fairy's face as it stared intently at the Ame shinboi's eyes.
"W-Why?" The fairy asked, her delicate voice breaking slightly and sending shivers down the Ame shinobi's spine.
"N-No, I was just..."
The fairy drew her hand back and wiped away her tears before sinking back into the Ice-mirror which promptly shattered into tiny shards that shimmered in the dim light.
"She's gone." Another Ame shinobi whispered.
"No, she's over there in that other mirror of ice!"
Said mirror of ice was farther away than the last. Surprised, at the turn of events, the Ame shinobi rushed towards the other mirror, the commanding Ame shinobi also included.
"Destroy it again." The commanding Ame shinobi ordered.
"I-I can't." The previous Ame shinobi who broke the last mirror stammered.
"Then I'll do it." The commanding Ame shinobi said as he destroyed the ice mirror.
The process repeated another three times, each drawing the Ame shinobi farther and farther away from their positions.
Suddenly, the fairy glared at the commanding Ame shinobi.
"No more." The fairy said. "I've had enough."
Almost out of nowhere a great tidal wall of water appeared all around the group of Ame shinobi, towering several feet above them before it was promptly frozen. The Ame Shinobi were trapped for the time being.
"That good enough?" Yahiko said as he took in a breath full of air after casting his water release: Tearing Torrent Jutsu.
"Plenty." Reiko said after she froze the wave of water around the Ame shinobi. "That should hold them long enough for us to sneak in."
"...Why's it always me?" Haru asked dejectedly as he stepped out from an Ice mirror. He had been given the role to distract the group of Ame shinobi rather than Reiko.
"Because your beautiful." Yahiko said. "More so than your sister."
"T-Thank you, wait no; I mean damn it!" Haru said dejectedly. "I've tried so hard to become masculine..."
"Enough with you two." Reiko said. "We have to hurry before the ice breaks. By the way, good job Haru, and Yahiko, this isn't over."
A heavy cloud of depression enveloped Haru before they all shot off to rendezvous with Shirou and the others.
"Lighten your steps with chakra." Nagato advised. "We don't know for sure whether or not there are any more Ame shinboi in here."
The group traveled quietly through the entrance of the underground river, following a path that lead down an embankment. Muffling their steps, they approached the river bed. The sound of rushing water greeted their ears, and a field of flowers appeared before their eyes. The river in which they saw next traveled through a dark tunnel carved out by the river through the passage of time.
"Careful of the flowers." Konan said. "They're deadly should you inhale too much of their fragrance."
Nodding their heads, Mei took the initiative and went first, then Tsuki, Reiko, Haru, Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan went next. Shirou remained idle, choosing to stay by the back of the group.
Mei reached the flowing river first before she pulled out a scroll in which she handed to Tsuki.
"Fuin." Tsuki said as she released the various planks of wood she and the others had salvaged from an abandoned home. "Haru, Reiko."
"On it." Haru and Reiko said. With swift movement, they held their hands out and frost began forming on the rivers surface before becoming a huge chunk of snow.
Matting the snow onto the various planks of wood, it didn't take long before the figure of a boat could be seen. The wooden planks acted as the supporting structures of the ship such as the mass and deck, while the snow made up the haul. A few more minutes and the snow solidified into hard ice.
The ship floated in the river, bobbing up and down as it attempted to flow along with the current. Be that as it may, Reiko and Haru kept it steady as the others began to board in earnest.
Shirou's eyes widened.
"Get out! Get out of the ship!" Shirou yelled urgently.
Large reptilian eyes opened from beneath the surface of the water, revealing iris's slitted and narrowed. Within the span of a second, its scaled hide emerged rapidly from the river's depths, its maw widening to unveil its serrated teeth. Its long dexterous tail swished from side to side propelling its massive body forward, its four limbs pressed tightly against its sides acting like fins that cut across the flowing current. Based on its appearance alone, it was a salamander. With another quick whip of its tail, the salamander descended on the ship.
Mei, Reiko, Haru, Tsuki, Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko quickly abandoned the boat and arrived back on dry land just as the bulky salamander swallowed the ship whole and submerged back into the water.
"I had acted on a gut feeling," A muffled voice said. "But it would seem my senses have yet to truly fail me."
Hanzo stepped out from the shadows, his masked respirator appearing first before the rest of his body. Behind him stood a group of Ame shinobi he had called upon moments prior.
Everyone tensed and readied their weapons. Shirou clenched his hands into fists and released a breath.
"You are out numbered and outmatched. Surrender." Hanzo ordered.
Mei bit the bottom of her lips in worry as her eyes drifted towards Shirou. Shirou, rather than reflect the anxiety present in his comrades eyes, held confidence.
"No," Shirou said. "You are the ones who are out numbered and outmatched."
"Can you not understand the situation, boy?" Hanzo inquired. "Or have you deluded yourself into believing otherwise?"
"No, but I alone possess a power not seen in ages past." Shirou boasted.
Shirou did not regret what he was about to do, but rather he knew it was the best choice given the situation. Hideki had informed him of what would likely transpire should he reveal his abilities, yet he also knew that he had neglected to inform Hideki of the magnitude of his abilities. With a breath, Shirou's od thrummed from within him, his chakra intertwining with it and enforcing it with added power.
"A power not seen in ages past you say?" Hanzo said curiously. "Interesting, but entirely irrelevant at the moment." Hanzo motioned to his squad of Ame shinobi. "Atta-"
"-Banbutsu Sōzō. (Creation of All Things.)" Shirou said, his calm voice carrying across the wind.
Inwardly, Shirou sighed. He had learned early on that no one would believe him if he had said that the formation of his blades was through magecraft, and so he had compromised with Hideki. In a sense, Shirou had agreed to play a game of lies and deceit. The name Banbutsu Sōzō itself would draw attention towards him, but at the same time eliminate any questions people may have of his abilities. However, Shirou had failed to comprehend the true significance of what he'd done. There was a reason why Hideki was so insistent that Shirou keep his abilities a secret, a reason that Shirou had yet to know.
Hanzo's eyes widened at the name, but before he could act further, he was cut off by the creation of a single sword, and then another and another and another...
"You have with you around fifty or so shinobi excluding the hundred still trapped within the ice." Shirou said as pale blue circuitry-like lines traveled up his arms. "But can a mere fifty defeat a hundred swords? a thousand?"
As Shirou continued to talk, swords,spears, and weapons of various kinds began to litter the air with steel so compactly condensed that a vast shadow stretched out across the land. Shirou panted from slight exhaustion, but maintained his confident facade. He didn't trace anything on the level of noble phantasms for he wouldn't be able to draw out as much of an intimidation effect with a scant few weapons he would be able to make, no; in this case quantity was more intimidating than quality.
"Tell me, Hanzo of the Salamander." Shirou said with conviction. "Do you have enough men to withstand the might of my arsenal?"
As one, the razor ends of over a thousand weapons pointed towards Hanzo as his men took a step back in shock.
Mei, Reiko, and Haru could only look at Shirou as if he had grown a second head. Never in their wildest dreams did they believe that Shirou possessed such an ability. Furthermore, Shirou had stated that he alone had the ability...A bloodline? All things considered, Shirou had just drawn the brunt of their attention.
Surprise would be far from what Tsuki was thinking at the moment. Having witnessed a similar scene during Uzu's invasion, she had expected that Shirou would do something similar, but the sheer magnitude of what he had just done astounded her. The sky was blackened by the vast number of weapons in the air that were so tightly packed together that Tsuki noted that she no longer felt the rain against her body.
Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko were simply left gaping. Try as they might, they couldn't get the image of the weapons above their heads to disappear. Just as various Ame shinobi flooded their systems with chakra to dispel the genjustu, so too did Konan, Yahiko,and Nagato. All however were left with the same result. It was one hundred percent real.
"Retreat." Hanzo said to his men. "I will handle the situation alone. The lot of you would only hinder me."
The Ame shinobi didn't have to be told twice, they all left in hurried body flickers out of the area.
"So you won't run?" Shirou inquired.
"No." Hanzo said. "I have not ruled Ame for so long by running away from a fight. Now prepare yourself."
Hanzo vanished.
Veins popped out of Shirou's head as he reinforced his eyes and caught Hanzo's movements. In one massive swoop, hundreds of weapons dropped from the sky, blue tail lights streaking behind them.
Hanzo back pedaled, shifting in-between the barrage of steel, but even he could not dodge forever. A dagger grazed his shoulder and subsequently dulled his movements for but a moment. In that moment seven swords locked on and shot off at Hanzo simultaneously. Breathing deeply, Hanzo exhaled a cloud of purple poison in response.
Steel met poison and the blades began to corrode rapidly before Hanzo deflected them with his kusarigama. Flipping backwards, Hanzo distanced himself as his eyes roamed across the sky. Numerous weapons still filled the air and he had still yet to approach within attacking distance.
"I will give you this," Hanzo said. "You are strong."
"As are you." Shirou said. "Truthfully, I didn't expect you to last this long."
"Fool. There is a reason why people fear my name." Hanzo said as he slightly eased his guard. "A man is like a sword. Our convictions are what make us sharp, and my convictions are unbending. You who has created numerous blades, what does that make of your convictions?"
"I am the bone of my sword." Shirou said resolutely while using the aria to concentrate his magecraft. "As I am my sword, so to do my swords carry my convictions."
Hanzo smiled behind his visor.
"Well said, but words are meaningless in battle."
Hanzo grasped his kusarigama with one hand, and used the other to form a hand seal. Six water clones appeared behind Hanzo. Hanzo charged forward, his clones spreading out to attack from multiple angles. Hanzo's speed may not have been greater than Lancer during the Holy Grail War, but chakra enhanced speed was nothing to laugh at. One of Hanzo's clones died under the weight of a war hammer. Another under the onslaught of a hundred swords.
Four clones were left, and Hanzo was still going strong. Spinning the sickle end of his kusarigama, Hanzo blocked a rapier aimed at his chest before the long chain of the kusarigama caught the rapier and sent it right back. The sounds of steel echoed out through the battle field. Another of Hanzo's clones died after being forced to jump into the air. Left unable to move, it was vulnerable to the assault of fifty daggers moving at the speed of bullets.
Hanzo furrowed his brows before suddenly fading away under a rain of blades. He completely disappeared, his remaining clones the only ones on the battlefield.
Shirou reinforced his eyes. Just as he knew every sword that he had projected into the air, he could differentiate the difference between what was his and what was not. The bastard sword that lay clattered on the ground was certainly not his. Raising an arm, Shirou willed his blades to attack the sword while at the same time defending against the other clones.
In a puff of smoke, another of Hanzo's clones faded after taking the blow meant for the sword which also turned into a puff of smoke. Hanzo once again took to the battle field. He found it impossible that Shirou was able to differentiate him out of all the other swords and weapons that lay clattered on the ground.
Hanzo observed the deaths of his clones and formed a strategy. Taking to the air meant death, blocking the might of a thousand weapons was absurd. In the end, moving forward was the only option he had. However, perhaps there was something else he could do...
Suddenly, the ground beneath Shirou shook, a massive salamander appearing, its mouth gaping wide open to swallow him whole. With a deft move, Shirou found leverage on the salamander's teeth and pushed off out of the way.
Shirou's eyes narrowed and with one swift mental command, he rained down all his traced swords.
Dust filled the area as the impact of over a thousand swords altered the land.
Over the passage of time, Shirou had come to realize that saving others would mean the death of another, but if it would save those in which he held dear, then so be it. He grimaced, as he realized he was becoming more and more prone to thinking like Archer in the Elemental Nations, yet he took solace in the fact that he hadn't forsaken his ideals.
The cloud of dust lifted and revealed a barren field of weapons buried deep into the ground, some to the hilt, and others to the base. Hanzo and his clones could no longer be seen. The most prominent on the battle field however, was the form of the giant salamander which had been swimming within the river. No sword, axe, spear, or weapon of any sort was able to pierce the salamander's hide.
The salamander opened its mouth, and out came Hanzo.
"Create as many weapons as you want. It doesn't matter." Hanzo said as he leapt atop his summon's head. "None would be able to penetrate my summons hide."
Shirou remained silent before lifting his head to stare into Hanzo's eyes.
"...Then I'll just imagine something that can." Shirou said.
Raising an arm, Archer's black bow appeared in Shirou's hand. He knew mundane weapons would no longer be effective against Hanzo, rather they would be down-right useless. Bringing his other hand to his side, a single shape began forming in his head.
Judging the concept of creation
He began to picture a design. One with the efforts of the one who made it.
Hypothesizing the basic structure
It was a sword made of the finest ore and legendary mithril. It was of superior make.
Duplicating the composition material
Drawing from his prana laced with chakra, he duplicated the sword's materials.
Imitating the skill of its making
Sympathizing with the experience of its growth
Reproducing the accumulated years
Excelling every manufacturing process
The sword had completed itself within Shirou's mind.
"Trace on." Shirou murmured.
The sword appeared in his hands, yet it was twisted and spiraled, Its hilt a royal blue and gold.
Shirou knocked the sword onto Archer's black bow and pulled. A torrent of Prana and chakra circled around him and stretched towards the sky. His muscles bulged from the strain, his eyes locked onto Hanzo's frame. He took in a breath and eased his breathing- all for the perfect shot. He felt his reserves dip, but he had trained hard with his chakra in order to sustain himself.
Hanzo's instincts forced him to make distance, his summon taking a massive leap away and sending up a hail of debris. Whatever that sword was, he could tell that it was dangerous. From a distance, Hanzo had confidence that he could dodge the sword being launched from a bow. Just as all bows work, the initial speed of fire is always faster than the final trajectory. He would rush in as soon as Shirou revealed an opening after firing his bow- providing the opportune moment for attack.
"Soar," Shirou said. "Caladbolg!"
A sword of light traveled through the air, leaving a trail of colour reminiscent of a rainbow. Space distorted in its path, its speed immense.
Hanzo's eyes widened in shock. It was moving too fast!
A second after release, and the world was dyed in crimson flame. A large explosion capable of razing a portion of a great shinobi village could be seen for miles on end. The backlash of the explosion had Shirou's loose cloths straining against the wind as he and the others were blown back by the shock wave. When the smoke from the explosion cleared, not a trace of anything remained to be seen; only the fires left behind by the explosion raged on, the embers drifting into the air amid a crater who's depth could not easily be measured.
"My god." Mei said in disbelief as she tunneled her away out of the rubble she found herself beneath.
Shirou and the others were in similar situations.
Caladbolg II: The Fake Spiral Sword. It was originally the sword of Fergus mac Róich in Celtic mythology. The legend goes that Fergus mac Róich redirected his rage from the undesired turn of events where he could not kill the enemy king who betrayed him during the decisive battle between the lands, at three hills. He utilized Caladbolg to cleanly blast the tops of the hills like a long rainbow. Archer had stumbled upon it and learned to utilize it in combat, like Shirou had just done. The blade of the sword coils into a spiral that can penetrate any target by creating a twisting distortion in space when fired. It had the necessary penetrating power Shirou needed to bypass the Salamanders thick hide. It also had the added effect of creating an explosion upon impact.
"Y-You defeated Hanzo." Konan stuttered, not caring about the dust that had collected over her hair and clothing.
"You really did, didn't you?" Yahiko said as he looked around the area for any signs of life before whistling. "Did a number on the area too."
Shirou crawled his way out of the rubble and rubbed at the back of his head. He smiled, knowing that everyone came out safe.
"And what makes you think that I would be so easily defeated?" A voice said.
Shirou tensed, his battle senses kicking in.
Hanzo appeared behind a flickering flame. His body was burned in numerous places, yet he stood defiant.
"You would have actually killed me had I not reverse summoned myself." Hanzo said.
Cautiously, Shirou traced a red spear into existence, its aura radiating blood lust.
Hanzo raised a hand and drew Shirou's attention.
"Relax, I no longer have the urgency to fight, but rather I've just grown curious." Hanzo said as he stored away his kusarigama. "I sense great danger from that spear. Tell me, what would have been the outcome had I attacked?"
Shirou looked pensive, but decided there would be no harm done. It was at times like these that Shirou's naivetty came into play. He had not lived long in the shinobi world, and as such was reluctant of being wary against all enemies. He didn't like the concept of suspecting everyone of hidden motives, and so Shirou opened his mouth to speak.
Against Tsuki's better judgment, she didn't stop Shirou from talking, rather she herself was interested in what the spear that could release such dense bloodlust could do. It was the same for everyone else.
"Had you attacked, this spear would have killed you before you could even recite a jutsu." Shirou said as he willed the spear away. "It has a cunning and deadly effect you see."
"What do you mean?" Konan inquired.
"Take for example this scenario of events." Shirou gazed seriously at Hanzo's direction. "He thrust his spear and he pierced the heart. This spear has the ability to reverse cause and effect."
Hanzo's eyes widened.
"What does that mean?" Haru asked.
Shirou looked towards Haru.
"Do you remember the scenario I just described?" Shirou asked.
Haru nodded his head.
"He thrust his spear and he pierced the heart." Haru recited.
"Now if you reverse cause and effect," Shirou's voice was serious. "You get, he pierced the heart and he thrust his spear. The cause of the 'spear being thrust' comes from the effect of the 'opponent's heart being pierced' by the spear, which distorts the very fabric of reality. In short, the heart was pierced, so the spear must have been thrust."
"B-But that's..." Yahiko began before drifting off.
"Of all the times this spear has been used, It has a hundred percent fatality rate." Shirou continued as he turned back to face Hanzo. "Had you attacked, the result would have been no different."
"I see." Hanzo said. "For standing up to me and providing a good fight, I will allow you all to go. As for the two Ame shinobi beside you, what do you plan on doing by aiding the Uzumaki?"
"We plan to learn Fuinjutsu from Uzu for the betterment of Ame to fulfill our teacher's dream of peace." Konan and Yahiko said.
A laugh escaped Hanzo's mouth. He too sought out for peace, perhaps he should make another test case.
"Go as shinobi of Ame." Hanzo said to Yahiko and Konan.
"Yes." Yahiko and Konan said.
Hanzo turned to face the platoon of Iwa shinobi that had arrived moments earlier and called out to Shirou. "I will deal with the interlopers as you make your escape. May we meet again, Uzu's Red Devil."
With the fires at his back, Hanzo charged fearlessly into the approaching platoon of Iwa shinobi, his trademark salamander appearing beneath his feet. With a battle roar, hundreds of Iwa shinobi were enveloped in Hanzo's poison mist, and many more were cut cleanly by Hanzo's kusarigama, and stomped down on by his salamander.
Quickly, Shirou and the rest constructed a new boat with the pieces that they had left, and traveled down the rapid current of Hitsumi river on a path to Konoha.
There's the chapter. Not as long as I wanted it to be, but I wanted to update the story. Hanzo's character at this point still hasn't given up his convictions since I assume it occurs somewhere in the third war. For the sake of this story, the second war is lasting a bit longer.
As for Makoto and the clone, I tried it as a test run to see what people think if Shirou could possible lose himself to the emotions and characteristics of another person. If you think he probably wouldn't, I'll write it next chapter that he found a way to stabilize himself when fully impersonating the personality of another individual. Or it could just be that his clones aren't as strong willed since they know their clones.
Also, I posted two other stories. One about DBZ, and the other for my brother about Hellsing and Fate.
DBZ Plot: Vegeta post super saiyan, and Bardock after defeating Chilled get sent back in time to planet Vegeta three days before Frieza destroys it.
Hellsing Summary: At the dawn of the Fourth Holy War, monsters are summoned to walk upon the earth. One, cast from the graces of God, drowned in blood and countless lives. The other, a blade for which to smite God's foes, a heretical saint bound in thorns. This is their dance.
Thanks for reading, and its been awhile.
-Parcasious
