Journey to Americagakure pt 13: Fear from Relief
"Since when have you had a brother?" Neji asked, bewildered.
"For as long as I can remember, but I could've sworn he left when I was really little. All I remember about him is that he inspired me to specialize in weapons when I became a ninja." Tenten replied.
"Well, looking at the situation, the chances that your long lost brother and this wayward Akatsuki member are the same person are pretty high." Shikamaru added. Jinketsu had been deep in thought while the others conversed, and suddenly gasped.
"No way! Could it be the same Tsuin who fought Kamiko, Tsuchi and I way back then?" he announced.
"Now that you mention it, you're right. I do remember fighting someone like that. The weapons he used were unorthodox, but by hell were they powerful." Kamiko seemed to remember this person as well, and Tsuchi nodded to show that he recalled, too.
"What are you talking about? The Super-Elite Jounin never fought an Akatsuki member." Kobi pointed out.
"That's because the Super-Elite Jounin didn't exist back when I'm talking about. Back before I became Jiyuukage and started the Super-Elite Jounin, Tsuchi, Kamiko, and I went around the country looking for people like us and telling others about chakra and the way of the ninja. I remember coming across this guy with Akatsuki robes and two cannons on his back. We asked him if he was a ninja, and he said he was. Don't you remember traveling with him for a couple days?" Jin asked, turning to his long time teammates. Kamiko nodded,
"How could I not? The four of us came up with the idea of putting the strongest ninja in the country in one team, and since you had gone to Konoha, you said 'a step up from Jounin would describe people with that kind of power'."
"Then when we were electing who would lead the team," Tsuchi began to add, "Kamiko and I voted for Jinketsu, since he had the most skill as a ninja, or so we thought. It turned out that Tsuin was from Akatsuki, who was completely unknown to us at the time, and he voted himself as leader saying he had 'more experience than we thought'."
"Finally, I voted for myself, insisting that I was the only one in America who knew how to lead a nation of ninja. Tsuin got furious over that, and attacked us. During the fight was when we learned about Akatsuki and why he was sent to this country. Pain had heard of me and what I planned to do in America, so Tsuin's job was to befriend me and ultimately take over our nation. He succeeded in the first part, but once we learned his malicious intentions we couldn't let him escape. Unfortunately, after a last ditch attack with his weapons he did, and we haven't seen him since." The Jiyuukage finished.
"But shouldn't you have gone after him?" Sakura questioned.
"We didn't think we had to. He was so beaten we thought there was no way he'd come back for more. After the fight we found the rest of the Super-Elite Jounin and helped install the ninja system in America with little trouble."
"Well he's back now, and we're pretty sure he's Tenten's brother. Looking at all this, I say it's up to her as for what we do next." Sasuke said. Tenten looked down, but only for a couple seconds; she had decided,
"I'll confront him. After all, Tsuin is my brother. Maybe I can change his mind about what he's doing."
"We're coming with you. It's our country he attacked, so we have just as much of a reason not to let him get away." Said Jinketsu.
"Then we have no choice but to come, too. Tenten is our friend, and if she gets hurt and we're not there, we'll blame ourselves for it." Naruto spoke for the Konoha ninja. But Tenten was shaking her head.
"No. I have to go alone. Tsuin is expecting the Super-Elite Jounin, but he won't expect his little sister to come out of nowhere to stop him."
"Tenten, I think you're severely underestimating American arrogance. Nobody has ever attacked our country's soil and gotten away with it. We're coming and that's final." Kamiko demanded, the fierceness in her eyes that the Leaf ninja originally saw had returned, with more passion than ever.
"Fine," Tenten sighed, "the Super-Elite Jounin can come, but I want the rest of you to get out of here. Take Shokora and with you. I'm sure she has some answering to do about the stolen Declaration and the other documents." Tenten went over to Neji and kissed him, much to his surprise "Don't you worry one bit. I'll be back before you know it." Neji smiled and patted the kunoichi's head,
"Spoken like a Jounin, Tenten. We believe in you."
"Everyone ready?" Jinketsu called his team and Tenten. They nodded their agreement. "Excellent. Leaf ninja, this submarine is going to be blown to bits eventually anyways, so just keep blasting until you find a hole out of here. Tell President Obama 'I told him so'." While 13 of the Konoha 14 began retreating from the submarine, the Super-Elite Jounin and Tenten began journeying towards the bridge.
When they got there, they found a large control room with three seats. The two chairs flanking the center seat were empty. That must have been where Shokora and Zurui once sat. The center one was facing away from the eight ninja, but it was obvious it was occupied.
"Tsuin…" Tenten whispered. "Tsuin, it's me, Ten—"
"I know. That was quite the battle you and your friends put on. For a second or two I thought you might lose, but Konoha is just as strong as it's always been, isn't it?" Tsuin turned around and revealed himself. He was in his Akatsuki robes, but his cannons were nowhere in sight.
"I never thought I'd see any of you again," Tsuin said calmly. He stood up and began slowly sauntering towards Tenten and the others, "No, that's not true. I knew I'd be meeting Jinketsu, Kamiko, and Tsuchi for a second time soon enough. It looks like your team has grown, even though it's still just a bunch of kids."
"How can you possibly be so calm after you killed millions of people? You killed my family, and God knows how many others!" Kamiko yelled. Tsuin laughed heartily,
"Ha ha ha! Americans really are dense, aren't they? Take a look!" Upon a display screen on the wall, the images of New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, and even Washington D.C. all popped up. The cities were completely intact.
"How is that even possible?" Kobi said. Tsuin laughed again,
"The Taihou family is great in two ways. One is our ability to invent and use weapons unlike anything ever seen before, such as this submarine and my signature cannons. The other is genjutsu so realistic it's like they are actually happening, the sights, smells, pain, and all. For the past few days all of America, even you, has been under one of the strongest genjutsu ever used!" The Super-Elite Jounin were not impressed.
"I can't believe even I couldn't feel that. I thought I was the best." Tsuki said in disbelief.
"Why pretend to destroy so many cities and people only to reveal that none of it actually happened?" Jin growled.
"Why not? Look at the state of your country. Your forces and armies are scattered and unorganized because they think they've just suffered a nuclear attack. Meanwhile, other countries who have received word of the 'attacks' see nothing out of the ordinary, and trust fades in the great nation of America."
"An old boy-who-cried-wolf tactic, huh?" Tsuchi said.
"Wait, but if no one believed us when we said a nuclear attack did happen and it didn't, that means…" Hinata stopped in her tracks.
"That's right," Tsuin laughed once more, "No one will believe you when a nuclear attack actually happens, and the Akatsuki will be free to rule America, and then the world!"
"You monster! I won't let you!" Kamiko broke her composure and charged at Tsuin, who easily dodged the head-on attack. Breaking a hole in the roof of the bridge, he jumped on top of the submarine, where the Super-Elite Jounin and Tenten promptly followed.
"Kami-chan! Stop!" Mio called. But it was too late. She was already launching punch after kick after punch at Tsuin, who dodged her moves with the utmost ease.
"Kamiko, hold it! We don't know what this guy is capable of!" Jin called her, and the distraction opened her up for a hit, and Tsuin sent Kamiko flying back to her teammates.
"Yes we do, he just said so! Now let me at him! He already faked killing the ones I love, so I won't let him do it for real!" Kamiko struggled in attempt to break the grasp of her friends.
"But if you just rush in and get yourself killed, I'll lose the one I love!" the Jiyuukage yelled. This stopped Kamiko's thrashing, and also got the attention of the other Super-Elite Jounin and Tenten. Kamiko was released and she turned to Jinketsu, stared him in the eyes, and gave him the slap of a lifetime. Then she turned around and crossed her arms, blushing.
"Jin, you idiot. You're not supposed to say something like that until after the bad guy is defeated. You know how action movies go." More evil laughter broke the two ninja's moment.
"Oh, this keeps getting better! Now I get to kill a couple kids in love! Let's cut the crap and get this over with!" Tsuin hunched over and from the confines of his cloak emerged two massive cannon barrels, unraveling with a sharp mechanical sound.
"I organized the Kurokishi and promised them power if they brought you back alive when you went to Konoha. Right before you returned, I wanted to reveal the ways of chakra and the lifestyle of a ninja to this decrepit nation myself, and become hailed as a savior! I had planned on telling the world that you were the one coming to destroy everyone's freedom, Jinketsu. What I didn't count on is those useless slobs that I trained myself to be defeated, and when Shokora and Zurui came crawling back to me, I knew my original plan wouldn't work anymore. You even changed your name to fit your new image, and before I knew it millions were at your feet thanking you as their First Jiyuukage for making their lives endlessly easier. That's why now I'll destroy you, your team, and this entire land once and for all! Just see if you can stop me before the countdown finished." Tsuin used this speech as a distraction to fully deploy his back-mounted cannons, and activate the launch mechanism for the missile silos that the eight ninja suddenly realized were right under their feet.
"Jin?" Kamiko said, looking at Tsuin attempting to retreat.
"Yes, Kamiko. We are going to give him the ass-beating of a lifetime. Kobi, Hinata, see what you can't do about these missiles here. Tsuki and Mio, go help the Leaf ninja look for the missing documents. The rest of us are going to help Tenten give Tsuin one hell of a family reunion."
"Yes, captain!" The Super-Elite Jounin saluted and began dashing towards their objectives.
It wasn't long before Jinketsu, Kamiko, Tsuchi, and Tenten caught up with Tsuin. He had stopped right on a beach. The same beach that had led everyone to the submarine in the first place. Now that the genjutsu was lifted, Washington D.C. stood in its former glory. Kamiko could see the Washington Monument in the distance, as if America was giving the thumbs up sign to their new protectors.
"Now, let's see who's tougher! Who's going to die first?" Tsuin laughed. Tenten and Kamiko looked at each other, smiled, and nodded.
"That'd be you, brother." Tenten gritted her teeth and began to open her scroll.
"Oh, really, Tenten? Would you really kill your only brother? After all, besides you and me, there's no one left of the Taihou family."
"I already have a family, Tsuin. It's the family of friends and citizens in the Leaf village, and they're better brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers than you'll ever be! And now with the added strength of the American ninja, we're the strongest family in the world, and we won't be beaten by you!" At that, Tenten threw countless weapons towards Tsuin, and Kamiko began making a series of handsigns.
"Fire Style: Wolf Flame Annihilation!" From Kamiko's feet erupted a massive flame that took the form of a wolf and wrapped around the flying weapons like a snake. The combined attack landed a direct hit on Tsuin, and an explosion generated a large volume of smoke.
"Alright, we got him!" Kamiko exclaimed, giving Tenten a high five. Yet, from the smoke, Tsuin's easily recognizable laughter seemed to echo up and down the beach.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! How could a little candle and a couple knives possibly hurt ME!? This is the power of Tsuin Taihou! Dimension Slicing Jutsu!" Tsuin's cannons lit up for but a couple seconds, and then sent out an air-cracking blast of chakra. A low-flying plane was in the path of the beam and disappeared upon impact.
"Whoa," said Jin, "if it did that to a plane, I don't want to know what it can do to a human body. Avoid that jutsu at all costs!" Jin and Tsuchi decided to jump into action as well. Tsuchi drew his spiked-shield from his back and threw it like a disk at Tsuin. Using a concealed kunai he knocked it back, and the shield came right back to its owner.
"It looks like projectile attacks won't be working on him, guys. We shouldn't expect anything less from a weapons master." Tsuchi pointed out.
"Then let's get up close and personal. Grand Summoning Jutsu!" the Jiyuukage took out a scroll from a pouch on his waist and cut his hand using a kunai. He smeared the blood on the scroll and made the signs for the Summoning Jutsu. In a blast of smoke appeared two swords nearly the size of him.
"Let's see how you fare against the Celestial Swords: Hinatsu, the sword of the sun and Tsumugari, the blade of the moon." Jinketsu rushed at Tsuin with his swords, but even that he could defend against using the barrels of his cannons. The swords only made light scratches. Kamiko decided to assist Jin, giving indirect blows to distract Tsuin while Jin made swings with his great swords.
Suddenly, Tsuin gave way, and a square punch to the face sent the Akatsuki member to the ground. Jinketsu pinned him down, impaling his swords into each of Tsuin's arms.
"Now this fight is over." Jin said, crossing his arms. Even in his predicament, Tsuin laughed as if nothing had happened.
"Well, it looks like I've finally lost. I guess I shouldn't have tried fighting the great Super-Elite Jounin, especially the Jiyuukage." Tsuin's voice sounded sarcastic. "So are you going to kill me now? Or are you feeling merciful enough to put me in jail for the rest of my life?" Kamiko stomped on his chest.
"Oh, yeah, you're going to die. You're far too dangerous to be left alive. It just won't be either of us that are going to kill you, though." Kamiko turned to Tenten. She nodded understandingly.
"Tsuin Taihou. I hardly knew you as a brother, but after this I know you well as a monster. I will take your life with no regrets, for the future of the world. The family name will live on, however. I hereby adopt the last name Taihou and will re-establish our family as the greatest weapons users in the world."
"Tch, how admirable. Unfortunately I have no last words to exchange. Just get this over with." Tsuin grunted. Jinketsu removed Hinatsu and Tsumugari from Tsuin's arms and joined their hilts together. The swords began to glow and then became one.
"This is the Holy Sword Amaterasu. It will make for a glorious death to an inglorious villain." Jinketsu handed the sword to Tenten. Even after her words, Jinketsu, Kamiko, and Tsuchi could see a slight tear in Tenten's eye as she drew up the sword and slammed it down into Tsuin's chest. He died without a sound. At the same moment, as if his death was a trigger, a huge explosion in the water signified the destruction of Tsuin's submarine. The other Super-Elite Jounin could be seen heading back towards shore. The threat to America had been destroyed, and these eight ninja proved themselves as worthy protectors of freedom.
Tsuin is destroyed, along with his submarine! The final chapter is next! What lies in the conclusion of the Journey to Americagakure? Find out in Journey to Americagakure part 14: Ninja World!
