AN: I would like to thank MidnightHunter563 for giving me a good amount of ideas which I can implement into the ones I already had planned for the rest of this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor am I doing this for monetary gain, all rights go to their respective owners.
ITALICS – thinking
BOLD – demon talk/jutsu
Arc Two: The Meaning of Life
Chapter Six
With a groan, Naruto opened his eyes to see a blue sky before him, but as he sat up the Uzumaki came face-to-face with Kurama's pissed expression. So angry, in fact, that the fox put its muzzle on Naruto's nose and growled deeply which shook the mindscape. Naruto, however, didn't even flinch as he stared into those angry, deep red orbs.
"I will not apologize for my actions, Kurama, as you and I both know it was that or be killed." Naruto nonchalantly said before he let out a sigh. "In fact, I deserve every bit of the anger you are exuding."
"Such apologies disgust me, but you are indeed correct, Kit." Kurama replied as he pulled back from his container, anger still evident in his tone. "I'm honestly debating whether I should eat you, or be impressed for what you pulled."
"I'd say impressed seeming that I'm the first one to survive this technique." Naruto said, but his eyes widened as he remembered one person whose anger would trump Kurama's. "Heh, I bet Shizuka's going to be pissed."
"Hell hath no fury like a women scorned." Kurama couldn't help but smirk as he thought about what Shizuka would do to Naruto.
Naruto nodded, "So, how long was I out?"
"It's been a week…Tsunade has been taking good care of you, and you can thank Jiraiya for getting that seal off. Sadly, I'm still healing the damage to your body which means you're stuck with me for another month at least."
Naruto blinked in shock, "Wow, I didn't think Mifune would go through that much effort to heal me."
Kurama scoffed. "Everyone's worried about you, kit. In fact, you have a visitor in your room almost hourly."
This made the Uzumaki smile, but he knew he had more pressing things to do. "Well, since I'm stuck here for a month with your furry behind…" Cue Kurama's irritated growl. "…I guess I can train with your chakra, among other things."
As Naruto started going through his kenjutsu katas, Kurama went back to his cave and decided to sleep. Keeping almost a constant flow of his chakra though Naruto was very taxing for the chakra construct.
Real World – With Shizuka, Tsunade, and Jiraiya
In a secluded training ground not far from the main village, Jiraiya closely watched over Shizuka as she drew kanji and other brushstrokes onto a small piece of paper. Being a seal master, the Toad Sage knew that if one stroke was wrong, disaster would strike hence the reason Tsunade was there. But healing Shizuka wasn't the only task Tsunade had, no, she was the proud teacher to her newest apprentice.
It was a day after Tsunade had healed Naruto to the point where Kurama could easily take care of the rest, did Shizuka come up to her and practically demanded to be taught medical ninjutsu. Although Tsunade's interest was piqued, there was no way she was taking Shizuka as an apprentice unless some of her questions were answered correctly. After ten minutes of discussion, the answer that Shizuka gave to Tsunade's final question had sealed the deal. The question the Slug Sage gave was:
"What would you do with this knowledge?"
In which Shizuka replied with how she hated seeing Naruto in the state he was in and how she wanted to help not only him, but the countless others whom were affected by this war.
It was shortly after this questioning that Jiraiya came in and, after hearing about Shizuka's apprenticeship with Tsunade, decided to sweeten the deal by teaching her some sealing. Although bummed that Naruto could never apply seals like his Uzumaki ancestors due to Ki, Jiraiya would make sure his godson understood them once he awoke and had recovered slightly.
For the first couple days, both Sannin were impressed with how quickly Shizuka grasped both concepts. For Jiraiya, he was impressed at how adept she was in picking out seal matrixes as well as having a steady hand for calligraphy; a beginners level in the Uzumaki standard of sealing. As for Tsunade, she was impressed with her understanding of anatomy and her already impressive chakra control. Sadly for Shizuka, this was nowhere near what Tsunade had wanted and thus she was introduced to the Slug Sannin's barbaric training method.
"How is it Jiraiya-Sensei?" Shizuka held up the finished seal with a smile on her face.
Said person took the seal and looked it over with a hardened expression, making sure to not miss anything.
"Very good, you successfully made a working explosive tag." Jiraiya smiled as he handed it back. "Now, as you know, Tsunade and I will leave here once Naruto is back to full strength. So, in light of this, I have made a few scrolls filled with my own sealing books."
Jiraiya reached into his haori and pulled out two scrolls of which he handed to Shizuka. After thanking the Toad Sage multiple times, she placed both in one of her pouches.
"Come, Shizuka-san, it is time for your training at the hospital." Tsunade reminded her student. "And after that we will play a friendly game of dodgeball."
"Friendly does not even come close you senile old bat!" Shizuka let out a groan and rubbed her still sore stomach. "Those rubber balls you throw turn into deadly projectiles, makes me wonder if you are trying to kill me?!"
"An old bat am I?" Tsunade's right eye twitched, and a tick mark appeared on her head. "Well, in that case, consider your training doubled for today!"
As Shizuka followed her sensei, she mumbled, "Me and my big mouth."
Where was Jiraiya in all this? He was currently on the snowy ground gasping for air from laughing so hard.
Mifune – Council Chambers
Mifune and his commanders, minus Naruto of course, was currently chatting amongst themselves as they discussed the outpost raid over a week ago as well as the consequences that resulted from it.
"Thanks to Uzuamki-san's near suicide technique, a lull has been made in this war. A good chance for us to recover, if I do say so myself." Takuma stated, but Hiroto interjected before anyone else could.
"But you must understand that the unknown still exists of how badly Takeshi was wounded." Everyone nodded and/or hummed at the point being made. "It could be weeks, months, perhaps years. The fact remains that a counter-attack could happen at any moment."
"And if we take in account how far we have pushed Takeshi as well as the past two wars, we can reasonably conclude that if a countermeasure is made…" Hideki started, with Fukui finishing for him.
"…that it'll be unlike anything we've seen before." He turned to his master with a sad smile before he continued. "And the number one targets will be Mifune and this village…we are the heart of the military force after all."
Mifune, with eyes closed and a smile on his face, leaned back in his chair so that he could digest what was said and what had already taken place before making a decision. took this all in as he sat back in his chair; his eyes closed with a smile on his face.
"Three outposts remain, with minor hideouts and forts still surrounding us." Mifune started softly after a couple minutes of silence. "It is unnerving to not know the exact number of our enemy, but like the past two wars the samurai will always prevail. As of now, the rebels are without a leader, they are now broken, disorganized, and will likely fall apart if given the right amount of force."
"That old tactic Mifune-dono?" Hiroto smirked as he knew where this was going. "Why, we haven't used that since the first war." The elder barked out a laugh before he continued. "Oh, how I wish I could see the look on Takeshi's face when the time comes."
Mifune let a smirk of his own develop. "Yes, we are taught to fight face-to-face, but there are times where we samurai have to do some deceiving of our own."
"Um, master, about this plan?" Fukui asked in the hopes of getting some answers.
The general opened his eyes, and his face became serious. "I will go over this once, and once only. And before anyone asks, yes, Uzumaki-san will be informed when the time comes, but that is it." The general started, his eyes now open and a serious expression plastered on his face. "Now, here is what we're going to do…"
One Month Later
Yuki was currently sleeping on Naruto's chest with Shizuka's head right beside her. It has been a long month for Shizuka, but the training was paying off. Her fuinjutsu skills were slowly, but steadily, increasing as was her medical knowledge. They were far away from the Sannin's level, but it was a level she hoped to reach in the future.
For Naruto, the month was filled with people coming in and out of his hospital room; cards, flowers, and miscellaneous gifts now scattered the room. Beside his bed, on an armor rack, was his samurai armor and below this, on a special stand, was his two blades. For the samurai that visited Naruto, each made sure that the young commander's armor and blades were repaired and well-polished as a show of respect.
It was two days ago that Tsunade ran a diagnostic on Naruto and found that his injuries had healed completely. With a smile, the Slug Sage took Naruto off the meds he was on, and told Shizuka and Mifune the news that his medically induced coma would be ending soon. The Tsunade warned, however, that Naruto would likely have to undergo a lot of physical therapy to get back to full strength even though Kurama had helped in the healing process. As to when Naruto would regain full strength, or if his injuries would prevent him from continuing his samurai path, was up for much debate.
Currently, the door opened to Naruto's room which made Shizuka wake to see her two Sensei standing there with smiles on their faces. Just as they closed the door and was about to speak to Shizuka to get an update on Naruto, the person in question groaned and stirred. Eyes now on Naruto, everyone watched as he opened his eyes and blinked a couple times to get the fuzziness out. Shizuka was elated to see the love of her life awaken after so long, but that changed when Naruto looked at her.
"Hey, my fair…" Naruto said quietly, but couldn't get anything else out due to Shizuka slapping him across the face.
While Tsunade and Jiraiya winched at the sound such an act made, it quickly turned to smiles as they watched the couple partake in a passionate kiss.
"Don't ever do that again, you hear me!" Shizuka said after they broke apart, tears in her eyes.
"Don't worry my fair maiden, I won't be dying anytime soon." Naruto wiped a stray tear from Shizuka's face. "I can promise you that."
Yuki, having enough of being ignored, made her presence known with a couple sloppy licks to Naruto's face.
"Happy to see you too Yuki." Naruto's scratched behind the fox's ears then turned his attention then turned to his godparents. "Jiraiya-san, Tsunade-san, nice to see you, and thank you for taking care of me."
"It was the least we could do, Naruto, but please don't scare us like that again." Tsunade said with a smile.
"Tsunade's right, gaki." Jiraiya continued as he lifted Naruto's shirt to check on Kyuubi's seal. "You actually died twice before they got you stabilized."
"I know." Naruto let out a sigh as Jiraiya nodded which said the seal was intact. "Kurama filled me in on what went on while I was out…still can't believe I'm the only one to survive that technique."
Although he mumbled that at the end, Tsunade and those that just entered, Mifune and the commanders respectively, caught it.
"And what such technique calls for the near death of the caster, Uzumaki-san?" Mifune basically ordered if his unamused tone was anything to go by.
"One which Masamune witnessed with his own eyes, andthe only reason why I can use my Ki to its fullest purpose." Naruto started but, on getting confused stares, went into explanation. "Ki, as we know, strengthens our muscles, increases our speed, and can be used for attacks if one takes the time to understand their inner-self. But, we feel no aftereffects as the Ki is used in small doses." Naruto looked the samurai leader in the eyes. "Tell me, Mifune-dono, how much Ki does a person have?"
Said person hummed in thought before he spoke, "Endless, I suppose."
Naruto nodded his head, "Correct, but only because we constantly replenish it from the life forces around us. Our ancestors, however, found a way to store this energy within which is how I, and others, can make their Ki signature vanish." Everyone, except Naruto's, eyes widened, but that quickly turned into shock. "Now, imagine all that pent up energy released at once."
"Dear Kami, to hold so much then let it release…" Mifune sighed as he now understood. "A technique which boosts the user to the extreme, yet acts almost like a chakra bomb."
The mental image of this sent shivers up everyone's spines, even Naruto's as he remembered the amount of pain he underwent due to this technique.
"That is why the technique is suicide." Naruto further explained. "Many did not know how to regulate their Ki to get the full effects of the technique, so yes…they literally exploded. For those that did manage to regulate their Ki, they died about an hour later due to their injuries. If not for Kurama, I wouldn't be having this conversation with you and is also why I took the risk."
After a very long silence, Mifune forbid Naruto from using that technique again until he found some way to make it more manageable. Of course, Naruto accepted as he did not want to undergo that much pain ever again. That, and because he hated the look on Shizuka's face.
Never again would he make her feel this much pain and sorrow.
After some small talk, and with Mifune and Fukui's approval, Naruto accepted his godparent's invitation to learn about fuinjutsu and the medical field.
Shortly after this, everyone was ushered out of the room to where only Mifune and the commanders stayed. However, once the door closed behind them, they started to talk about what they planned to do. Jiraiya, knowing the seriousness of the situation, put a security seal on the door as he left so that nobody would overhear. With a smile, the Toad Sage escorted everyone out of the hospital so that training could begin again.
By the end of the day, Naruto was walking about but he needed help to do so. It was a feeling such as this, a feeling of weakness, that Naruto loathed, but it also helped push the young field commander to endure and work himself into better shape than before.
"With a potential counterattack on the way, I have no time to lax and complain about my condition. I got myself into this, and now I will use this pain to better myself; both physically and mentally."
Currently, Naruto was using Shizuka's shoulder to rest against as he attempted to walk; each step met with a pulse of pain. From what Tsunade said, the damage to his ligaments and muscles was so severe that it would take an estimated month or two to be fully healed. As the driven and stubborn person that he is, Naruto looked Tsunade in the eyes and declared that he would be recuperated in a month's time, maybe less. But even Naruto knew that Kurama could only do so much, in fact, the least he wanted to do was overtax the bijuu after he had done so much already.
"That's it Naruto, were almost there." Shizuka said as they made their way to the training ground. "Do you need a break or anything?"
Naruto shook his head, "Thank you, but I should be fine. In fact, I would like trying to walk on my own from here."
"You have only been out for less than a day…are you sure?" She said worriedly, then sighed when a simple nod was her answer.
With trepidation, Shizuka let go of Naruto but stayed close just in case.
One step…
Two steps…
Three steps; so far so good.
Four steps…
Five steps…
Naruto suddenly winced in pain and lost all semblance of balance. Just as he was about to fall to the snow and ice covered ground, Shizuka had caught Naruto; both with smiles on their faces.
"We're in this together, Naruto-kun. My pain is yours, and your pain is mine." Shizuka paused in order to kiss Naruto on the lips, one which he happily returned. "Once this war is over, let us take a trip to the Elemental Nations and leave our woes behind us for a while."
"Hard to believe a year has passed since we met." Naruto replied after they broke from another kiss. "To be honest, I never thought anybody would love a soul such as I due to the burden I carry. But, once I met you, and got to know you, I knew that my future wouldn't be bleak anymore. I love you, Shizuka-chan."
"And I as well, Naruto-kun."
This time the kiss was heated and both collapsed to the snowy ground to initiate a make out session. Before they could continue, however, someone cleared their throat which made both break apart and blush. Once they looked who it was, it made them blush even more.
"Alright you lovebirds," Jiraiya started with a sly grin, "unless you want to be a part of my Icha Icha, I suggest you follow me the rest of the way to the training grounds. Speaking of which, how did you enjoy my writing, Naruto?"
"Never again, you pervert…never again!"
"I'm not just a pervert…I'm a super pervert!"
Shizuka sweat dropped, and gave an 'are you shitting me' look to Naruto. "Seriously, THIS is your godfather?"
Naruto's response was a laugh, but for the Toad Sage, a black rain cloud appeared over his head. Soon, though, the cloud of depression disappeared and all headed to the training ground to see that Tsunade was already there. After some small talk, she took Shizuka for a game of dodgeball while Jiraiya started Naruto on fuinjutsu.
"Now, I understand that you cannot use chakra due to having Ki, but that doesn't mean you can learn about your Uzumaki heritage."
The Toad Sage pulled another scroll from his haori, one with a spiral symbol on it, and gave it to Naruto. Once it was in his hands, the scroll seemed to pulse like it was asking for something.
"Um, Jiraiya, why is it pulsing?"
Said man smiled, "See the Uzumaki symbol?" Naruto nodded. "Add your blood to it."
Naruto did just that and, with a small burst of light, the scroll unlocked to where it could be unraveled. As Naruto looked what was inside, he was in awe at the many sealing scrolls it had, as well as some of Uzu's history before they were destroyed.
"How did you get this?" Naruto asked. "And doesn't it take chakra to unseal these items?"
Jiraiya ruffled Naruto's hair, then proceeded to tell him about how Nagato became the Godaime and how he was of relation. The Sennin also went into the explanation of how he and Nagato came up with a way to alter the seals so they could be used without chakra; just a simple drop of Uzumaki blood.
"Gaki, I don't expect you or your girlfriend to understand these seals or even attempt to replicate them just yet. The Uzuamki were feared for their fuinjutsu expertise, and for a good reason. By Uzumaki standards, I am just a level five when it comes to sealing. And that's the halfway point."
Naruto was in awe as he never knew his clan was that powerful. Although his heart ached knowing that he couldn't fully immerse himself in the art, Naruto was happy that Shizuka could, at some point in the future, put these seals to good use. His train of thought, however, was broken by Jiraiya clearing his throat.
"Now, in order to make seals you must have a steady hand. Also, in order to understand seals, you must know how to make them. Is that understood?" Naruto nodded which made the Sennin smile.
"Good, now I am going to have you write a certain kanji over and over again. If you mess up, I will have you start over on another sheet." Jiraiya unsealed a scroll from his haori which contained all the fuinjutsu supplies. "This will continue until your calligraphy meets my standards."
"I understand, but I cannot just sit around all day, godfather." Naruto reminded Jiraiya of his physical therapy. "I need to get back to full strength and fast."
Jiraiya produced a semi-evil smirk which took Naruto off guard, and made him wonder if he would regret what he said.
"Now, I may be a super-pervert, but if you wish for me to get serious, and get you to top shape and then some…well, let's just say there was a reason why your father was considered one of the strongest Hokages, only second to our Shodai."
"…What beast did I just awaken?"
Journal Entry: 800
It has been a long month for Shizuka and I. Both my godparents are torturous when it comes to training, and I thought Master Harumasa was bad…tch! On the bright side, my physical therapy is going well, and Kurama has seemingly helped quicken the process. Tsunade estimates that I should be in fighting condition in about two weeks, something which surprised both of us greatly.
On training, I have found the medical field to be most relaxing as I am currently learning how to make medicinal balms and elixirs from various plant species. Perhaps, once this war is over, I can head back to Konoha and see how my garden is doing. On fuinjutsu, Shizuka and I have worked together in that department and, ever since then, our skills in that field have skyrocketed. Two heads work better than one, ne?
On the war, the lull still remains, but even I know this peace cannot last forever. Everyone is on edge, I can feel it; everyone can feel it. Hell, even my godparents have started wondering if they might somehow get involved in this. Mifune assured them, however, that their scouts will notify them if that would be the case. The last thing Mifune wanted was to involve foreign shinobi in a war that they had no part of.
Training Ground
Shizuka and Naruto was currently meditating as they waited for Tsunade and Jiraiya to arrive at their usual training spot, but as to what they were doing today was all but a mystery. The Sannin only told them that today would be special, whatever that meant just further added to the mystery.
As Naruto cleared his mind, he couldn't help but chuckle at Mifune's plan when, and if, this counterattack happened. As he thought on this, however, a pull was felt. Curious, Naruto gave in to the sensation and soon found himself looking at various images; some peaceful, some which resembled nightmares.
There was clouds in the sky, the crisp smell of the summer breeze, but that breeze held another smell. It held a certain acrid odor, like something was…burning? The images then flashed to a building on fire with the inhabitants still inside, screaming in pain as they were burned alive. The flames never faltered, no, they only grew in intensity due to the breeze bolstering them. Soon, the images were back where they began and, with a gasp, Naruto opened his eyes to find Shizuka looking at him worriedly.
"Naruto, are you OK?"
"I'm not sure Shizuka-chan…I'm not sure." Once Naruto got the cobwebs out of his head, an idea came to mind. "Hold on, I need to gather something from my home."
And just like that, Naruto sprinted back to the main village which left behind a very confused Shizuka. Upon looking at where Naruto sat, her confusion grew even more as the snow was melted to reveal the charred ground below.
"Just what's going on with you, my love?"
It wasn't long until Jiraiya and Tsunade arrived and, when they questioned where Naruto was, Shizuka just pointed at the spot where he meditated. Much like Shizuka, both Sannin were baffled, they had no explanation for the anomaly. Just as they were about to speak, Naruto returned with a book in hand, and a huge, beaming, smile on his face. As he stopped and looked down, he saw what the others did which made him chuckle. Seeing the confused faces, Naruto explained while he opened the book to the right page.
"Like I said before, Ki is the energy of all living things on this planet, but this explains that 'living' can pertain to five different elements. Water, Earth, Fire, Wind, and Ether. Ether is like a base, it's the energy I use to make Ki attacks with my sword, Honjo."
Jiraiya gasped, "The lost Masamune?!"
"Story for another time." Naruto replied, then continued. "As I meditated, I was pulled to a different part of my inner-self, a part I never thought could exist…until now. I saw the sky, felt and smelled a crisp breeze, then saw a family burn inside their own home." Naruto closed the book and looked at Shizuka, Tsunade, and Jiraiya with a smile. "This only leads to one conclusion."
"Your Ki has two elements, Wind and Fire." Shizuka said, but it was here a question came to mind. "But wait, how are you supposed to bring them out?"
Naruto shrugged, "Not sure, but every path has obstacles…I must simply overcome them. In the words of my master, I am but an empty glass waiting to be filled. An ongoing process until death, I suppose."
Tsunade and Jiraiya shook their head with mirth, then motioned for Shizuka to come forward. Once she did, Jiraiya handed her a piece of chakra paper which she looked at in confusion.
"What is this?"
"That," Tsunade started, "is to find out what element or elements you have an affinity to."
Shizuka let out an 'oh,' but added that she already knew her element; wind. It was a basis for most of her attacks. The Sannin, however, told her to try anyway. Once she added chakra to the paper, everyone was astonished as another element appeared; earth.
"Well now, between you two we have wind, fire, and earth. Very nice combination." Jiraiya said, then clapped his hands as a smile began to form. "Now, how about we start you, Shizuka, with some basic earth chakra exercises."
"On top of which," Tsunade added, "How would you like to know the secret of enhanced strength?"
Before anyone could speak, Tsunade lightly tapped the ground. At first nothing happened, but then a good size crater formed where Tsunade hit; fissures extended from the sides of the deep hole in the ground.
"She…just…tapped…" Shizuka said in shock, with Naruto trying to pick his jaw up off the floor.
Naruto knew that Ki enhanced strength, but seeing what his godmother could do with just a tap, and a miniscule amount of chakra, made it look like a candle in comparison. As the two students recovered, Fukui suddenly made his presence know, the look on his face was grim.
"Tsunade-san, Jiraiya-san, I'm afraid that the enemy is on the move again. I deeply regret to inform you that you must make haste back to Konoha lest you fall prey to the beast of war."
Both of them sighed, then replied at the same time with a downtrodden tone. "How long?"
Harumasa shrugged, "At most, a week, but they could be using tactics to deceive us. Mifune only gives us three days."
"And the cycle continues…" Naruto interrupted, a sad smile on his face. "…it seems we're ready to being the operation then."
"Correct, and I cannot be more proud of you, my student." Fukui let out a smile. "Welcome back Commander Uzumaki."
While Naruto bowed and thanked his master, Tsunade and Jirayia spluttered in shock.
"Commander…and at such a young age!"
Fukui chuckled internally at the Sannin's shocked faces. "Remember Jiraiya-san, Tsunade-san, our operation starts in three days, and Mifune expects you to be out by tomorrow morning."
The Sannin nodded and thanked the Harumasa and, once said person left, they continued their training for the day. As the day came to a close, Naruto treated everyone to a dinner at the same upscale restaurant he and Shizuka's first date was at. For Tsunade and Jiraiya, it was a bittersweet moment as they had to leave their godson after spending so much time together. In their mind, however, they knew that he was in good hands. With Shizuka at his side, and his skills as a samurai, it seemed like nothing would stray Naruto from his path. One event in the near future, however, would challenge our blonde and red haired character, and test his capabilities to the fullest.
With Takeshi – Somewhere in Iron Country
Takeshi spent less time in his coma than Naruto, but as he recuperated an ingenious plan came to mind. Troops were now moved to key locations, and orders were gone over again and again to ensure the plan was fool proof. Takeshi was so sure of his plan, that he allocated most of his troops for this one operation, an operation which would ensure his victory. In his mind, Takeshi saw his plan as an attempt to get under Tobi's good graces again, but little did he know that Tobi had cut all ties with him.
"I may have to rebuild this land once this counterattack succeeds, but it will be rebuilt in my image, from my laws, and under my leadership. Everyone will be forced to become my soldiers, everyone will learn to bow under my whim…men, women, children; everyone. Anyone that disobeys will be marked a traitor, and brought to be executed for all to see…yes, a perfect image of what my Iron Country will be."
Takeshi chuckled evilly which echoed in the room he currently occupied. The guards outside looked at each other with curious glances, but ultimately shrugged their shoulders as they started to see Takeshi as nothing but an insane elder. Instead, they cared more for how they would make it up to Mifune once this war was over. Some rebels had the same thought process as they witnessed, and read, the reports on the latest loss they suffered. Out of it all, the rebels feared one person more than their demented leader.
The Akuma no Senshi.
Nobody knew his true name, all they knew of him was what was told from eye witness accounts. They spoke of a beast that glowed red and moved faster than the eye could see. A beast that had no mercy towards their opponents. A beast that seemingly had no emotion, no conscious, and was rumored to be in possession of the Lost Masamune. A beast that wielded their blade with the finesse of a master, one that never missed a target.
Amid the accounts, however, one thing rang true for everyone:
Takeshi fought against it, and was severely wounded as a result.
If their leader could be killed by this boy, no, this demonic warrior, than what of them? Seeds of doubt started to creep into the rebel's minds, and these seeds have started to spread.
Doubt.
A heavy word which was used cautiously when Takeshi was around but, when he wasn't, conversations had started. I doubt we could win this war, I doubt Takeshi's leadership capabilities, I doubt Mifune would ever forgive us, were just some of these conversation starters.
Doubt, doubt, doubt.
It echoed in the rebel's heads as did the legend of the Akuma no Senshi, and in a set amount of time they were to meet this legend in battle. They were taught by a man called Tobi, a man that seemingly feared nothing, and engrained that same mentality onto them. But, where there's doubt, fear always results.
Takeshi's forces were imploding around him, and it was only a matter of time until they were pushed to that certain edge, to that certain point where they would fall of the cliff.
Edited: 9/5/15