Chapter 37: The Black Dragon's Redemption
The library drowned in dread as Kenshi's eyes alit with an ominous rage. "Last Resort Ninja Art… Splatter into FRENZY!" a dark burst swelled from Kenshi's body, blasting the other Gokudō boys off of him; Suzuki, Komichi, Suraku, and Murasame's pained grunts accompanying the thud as they hit either the wall or the floor. Hibari, Yomi, and Ikaruga rushed to their sides.
Kenshi's eyes beamed red, his enraged glare giving him almost a crazed smile, which shook the girls to their core. "But… that's Hikage's ninja art!" Homura exclaimed.
"So, you say! But she had to learn it from someone, didn't she?" Kenshi said. Hikage's eyes alit with an old fear as Kenshi's identical Frenzy Mode punctured her mind with sudden recollection.
Little Hikage gripped onto Hinata, who simply sat to the sidelines as Kenshi stood in between them and about seventeen thugs. "Don't you usually help him?" Hikage looked up at her.
"Usually, but when papa goes crazy, even I'll sometimes wanna stay outta his way." Hinata said with a flip of her knife. With a smile, she pointed towards the thugs with a wink as Hikage asked if he would be okay. "Just sit back and watch the show, little Hikki. It's these thugs you oughtta worry about."
"You threatened not only my boss, but my darling and our child! A quick death is something even you don't deserve." Kenshi screamed, a dark aura radiating from him. Hikage watched with curiosity at first, but as Kenshi wildly slashed and shot up the thugs with remorseless rage and a deranged laugh, a strange sense of fear filled the little eight-year-old snake, causing her to cling to Hinata, burying her face.
After the fight, Kenshi walked over to Hinata and Hikage, smiling, but she scolded him, "Gods dammit, Kenshi!"
"What!? You always said you found my Frenzy mode sexy! Especially when I light em up with gangbangs." Kenshi smirked, blowing on the muzzle of his gun.
Hinata let off a slightly frustrated blush, "I… I do, you big putz! But you scared little Hikki! I've never seen her afraid of anything!"
Hikage clung to Hinata's leg, looking out at Kenshi. "Are you okay, papa? You looked weird. I didn't like it."
Kenshi knelt down with sympathy, apologizing to Hikage. "Tell you what. I'll teach you how to do it. That way, you won't have to be afraid when papa goes loopy again. You can be loopy with papa!" Kenshi picked her up, booping Hikage on the nose.
"And have two of you to deal with? Please, one crazy's enough!" Hinata joked.
"I say you can never have enough crazy, right little Hikki?" Kenshi grinned, to which Hikage tilted her head, confused. She didn't understand it at the time, but as Hinata and Kenshi's laughs echoed, the little Hikage put her fingers to the ends of her lips forming a smile on her face.
"One after another, they all fell by my hand. Didn't matter if they were still part of the gang or if they tried to turn over a new leaf. If they were there… if they contributed to the downfall... if they didn't want to avenge her… They died. And I will not back down until judgement has been DEALT! If you get in my way YOU'RE DEAD TOOOOO!" Kenshi's eye twitched, his tongue hanging out of his deranged grin.
"I won't let you hurt Hikage!" Homura said, her hair glowing red as she ignited the flaring energy of her Crimson Lotus.
"Papa… please don't." Hikage protested with a frown.
"It's too late for redemption for me, little Hikki! This is the path I've forged and it's the path I intend to finish! Now DIE!" Kenshi rushed at Hikage when his blade met Homura's Engetsuka as she stepped in front of her friend.
Hikage was in a shocked daze at the suddenness of Kenshi's maneuver, Homura struggled against his overwhelming force. Hikage shook from her daze when Homura called out to her. "I don't wanna do this, papa. But I have to. Secret Ninja Art, Splatter into Frenzy!" Hikage's eyes turned red, emitting the same dark energy as Kenshi before joining Homura in the fight.
"We have to help them!" Yomi quickly got to her feet.
"Yes, let's go." Ikaruga agreed, beginning to draw Hien.
Just then, Komichi leaned up, grabbing Ikaruga by the arm and grunting. "Wait, miss Ikaruga! Don't… don't do it! I've seen what the Oyabun's capable of when he's like this, none of you will make it!"
"It's true. Only reason your friends stand a chance is because they've achieved something beyond what most shinobi are capable of!" Murasame coughed. "Let us hope that it's enough."
"I hate to say it, but they're probably right, guys." Hibari spoke up. "They're moving way to fast. If we get in the middle of that, we're done for." Yomi, Ikaruga, and Yagyu let out sighs of defeat.
"At least we can help take Katsuragi and the other boys to a safer spot so I can tend to their wounds." Compa said. Yagyu raised an eyebrow, asking why she'd want to heal the enemy. "If I see someone in pain, I wanna heal them. Even if they're someone I just beat up. Besides, there's been enough death already and we don't wanna create even more of it." Yomi, Ikaruga, and Hibari all nodded, proceeding to carefully remove Katsu and the other boys from the destroyed library which was now a raging arena.
Homura's powerful strikes and Hikage's maddening speed were all but kept the girls from Kenshi's relentless onslaught. Kenshi had kicked Hikage over into the main desk when he was forced to engage Homura's sword. Homura struggled back against her foe, "Tell me. Just what do you hope to gain from this?!"
"Vengeance… for my Hinata!" Kenshi growled.
"I get it! You've been hurt, it still stings after all this time! I've been there! But that doesn't matter now! Those boys look up to you! You're special to them!"
"Don't talk like you KNOW MEEE!" Just barely dodging a mighty blow from Homura, the Gokudō boss swiftly kicked Homura in the jaw before slashing her in the side, but only just, as Homura's crimson blaze and her heightened senses protected her from most of the blow. Hikage rushed in, sparring in a deadly knife game with her former adoptive papa, still making sure to watch out for the rounds of bullets he'd fire from time to time.
Hikage pushed herself to her limits, trying to match Kenshi's near identical technique to her own, the entire library ringing out in a chime of knife parries. At one point, Kenshi had her in a blade lock. "WHAT'S THE MATTER, LITTLE HIKKI!? DON'T YOU WANNA SEE MAMA AGAIN?!"
Hikage said nothing, glaring into Kenshi's eyes as a burst of dark energy flared from her in an attempt to blast Kenshi back. But Kenshi held his ground, also bursting in dark aura, the two combatants' colliding like a storm front, which tore at their remaining clothes, leaving them in little more than tatters and their undergarments. Hikage felt herself slipping as Kenshi pushed her back slowly.
"Hikage! Outta the way!" Homura said, getting up and prompting Kenshi to turn his attention towards her as she sent her six main swords flying at him. "Slice and Dice shot!" Kenshi pushed Hikage away, dodging two of Homura's swords and deflecting another two with his blade, but the fifth disarmed him.
"STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" Kenshi screamed, grabbing the final flying sword and throwing it back at Homura, pinning her cape into the wall. Hikage rushed for Kenshi once more when he forcibly thrust at her knife hand, disarming her before sending her flying into the wall onto Homura. With a yell, Kenshi flew at the disrupted girls, sending his fists hard into both of them.
The rumbling sounds of battle a few rooms over had Yomi on edge as she paced back and forth from the room. "I can't take it anymore! I need to check on them!"
"Yomi, you can't! Kenshi's too strong!" Murasame objected.
"My friends are out there! I have to try!" Yomi insisted, grabbing her sword.
"Then let me accompany you! I might just be able to talk some sense into him!" Murasame grunted.
"No! you're too injured!" Yomi retorted.
"Miss Yomi's right, Murasame. You have to let the Healing Grass do its work since I'm fresh out of direct health drinks." Compa said. "Now just hold still little Suraku. Aaand there!"
"I'm not litt-…" Suraku's eyes bulged as Compa squeezed the bandages around his abdomen.
"Still. If Kenshi will listen to anyone, it'd be us! So, if you're going, we're going too!" Suzuki said, looking at Yomi. Suddenly a mummified Suraku grabbed onto Suzuki's shirt. "AAH! The undead! Eh!? Miss Compa! I think he's suffocating!"
Suraku mumbled and grunted, pounding his fists with weird hand motions as he moved all over the place. Hibari shrieked, "COMPA! YOU TURNED MY BROTHER INTO A MUMMY! And now he's choking!" Hibari began climbing on the couch where Suraku was. "Hang on, little brother, I'll get you out-… EEP!"
Suraku grunted in pain as Hibari slipped knocking her head on his collarbone and kneeing him in the stomach. Compa tried to speak up, wincing at Suraku's pain. "Um, Hibbi, you might wanna let me undo those bandages. Those are Planeptunian knots and-… ouch."
"GAH! What are you doing to Suraku, you clumsy Hanzo!" Suzuki said. "Here, let me!" Suzuki tried yanking on some bandages on Suraku's back, but they were bound in such a way that they ended up squeezing his crotch. Suraku's eyes whitened out as he began flailing through pained muffles.
"Suraku! Just hold still and let miss Compa-…" Komichi had gotten up to try and help, but before he could finish, ended up falling on his face, tripping over Hibari, who apologized in the middle of the mess.
Around this time, a middle-aged man in a suit and white hair entered the room when he happened upon the mess. Both Hibari and Suzuki stumbled over themselves trying to help Suraku, who had accidentally punched Murasame as he tried to help Komichi, who ended up tripping Yagyu as she tried helping Hibari out of the way with Compa yelling at the lot of them. The man's eyes widened. "Did I come at a bad time?"
"Kiriya Sensei!" Ikaruga took a brief bow, and out of respect Yomi followed suit.
"Ikaruga. I'm glad to see you're alright. Mind telling me what's going on?" Kiriya raised an eyebrow, looking back at the clustered mess.
"KIRIYA SIR! Homura and Hikage might be in trouble but I don't know if I'm strong enough to help them! They're fighting just up ahead." Yomi said urgently, grabbing onto Kiriya's forearm.
"Not strong enough?" Kiriya questioned with a start.
"Sensei, they're fighting the leader of Gokudō. He's strong as Daidoji if not more." Ikaruga said quickly.
"Very well. I'll take care of it. Cause it seems like your hands are full of… other activities here." Kiriya said, looking back at the others with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm coming with you though!" Yomi insisted.
Just then a shot rang out from Compa's giant syringe causing everyone in the dogpile to be still. "THAT'S ENOUGH! If you won't hold still, I'll give you all numbing shots! Patients, back on the couches! Everyone else, GIVE EM SPACE!" Compa smiled at Kiriya, Yomi, and Ikaruga with a thumbs up when she whispered. "Don't worry, I don't even have numbing shots. You're good to go." Compa then proceeded to undo Suraku's bandages.
"She sure is a lively one." Ikaruga commented, proceeding to walk out with Yomi and Kiriya as the two explained the situation to him. Ikaruga looked over at her teacher once more. "Sir. If I may ask, what are you doing here?"
Kiriya was silent for a moment before he said, "Taking responsibility."
Hikage and Homura crumpled to the ground, the power fading from their veins. Kenshi, still in a frenzy, sauntered over to pick up his weapon. "Hinata… I swore I'd never lose again. To protect those I love from the underhanded, the unloyal, the selfish. And now… I'm just one trigger pull away."
"If this is your way of protecting those you care about, you've one twisted way of thinking." Came the voice of an older man who just walked through the broken main doorway.
Kenshi turned his head towards the entrance, "Who the hell are you!?"
"I hear you're the leader of Gokudō Academy. I understand those injured boys out there are yours?" Kiriya said, as Yomi and Ikaruga followed him in.
"What's it to you?" Kenshi asked.
"They were your own boys! They saw you as family! And you blasted them aside!" Yomi exclaimed.
"That's none of your BUSINESS! And that still doesn't tell me who YOU ARE, old timer!" Kenshi's anger flared.
"I am Kiriya of Hanzo." Kiriya looked over at a struggling Homura and Hikage. "As Gokudō's leader, I would think you'd have more integrity. Picking fights with youngsters far below your skill level. Have you no shame?"
"Kiriya. I remember Ichika speaking of you fondly." Kenshi said, prompting Kiriya to ask how he knew that name. "Did she never tell you how she once became Oyabun of Gokudō? Quite a feat for a woman at the time. She was also a great mentor. Taught me the best way to become Oyabun, was to defeat the Oyabun. But she always did speak fondly of her little brother Kiriya. Even if she thought his path was poorly chosen." Ikaruga noticed Kiriya's face growing serious as Kenshi continued. "We Gokudō shinobi aren't bound by the confines of the High Shinobi Council. So your petty standards don't apply here!"
Kiriya took a step forward. "In that case, then you will not object to me taking this into my own hands."
With the glowing red frenzy still in his eyes, Kenshi grinned widely. "HA! I don't think you know who you're dealing with, old man! But if you wanna die so quickly, then be my guest!"
"We'll see about that." Kiriya said, straightening his tie. As Hibari and Yagyu ran in, Kiriya sternly ordered them to stay back.
"Eh?! Kiriya Sensei's gonna fight for real!?" Hibari exclaimed.
"I've only ever seen him fight outside of training once." Ikaruga mentioned. "But this could get ugly, girls."
"COME ON, OLD TIMER! Show me what ya GOT!" Kenshi came slashing wildly at Kiriya, but the Hanzo teacher vanished in a cloud of smoke before appearing some ways behind Kenshi.
"Secret Ninja Art; A Thousand Fists of Wind!" Kiriya didn't move, but rapidly punched in place. The Hanzo girls watched as Kenshi got battered by seemingly invisible strikes, which left wind streaks and tore at what little of his pants remained, revealing his boxers. Kenshi was staggered back, almost losing his balance from being thrown off his feet.
Kenshi roared with the dark energy bursting off of him, firing a barrage of bullets in Kiriya's direction, but not before Kiriya said, "Secret Ninja Art: Wind Walker!" Kiriya then became a blur to everyone in the room, achieving superhuman levels of speed enough to dodge the incoming bullets.
Before Kenshi knew it, Kiriya had grabbed his arm, emptying his remaining clip as the fresh rounds dropped to the ground. The girls, including Homura and Hikage, who had come around by now were watching in amazement. "I'll give you one last chance to surrender." Kiriya said to Kenshi.
"I'LL DIE FIRST!" Kenshi screamed, blasting Kiriya off of him in an eruption of dark energy.
Though thrown off, Kiriya quickly regained composure. With his ninja art still active, a windy essence emitted from his hands and feet as he swiftly rushed the Gokudō boss, disarming him of his weapon before battering him with his own fists. At one point, Kenshi struck Kiriya in the face, but the sensei shrugged it off. "Not bad, but your rage has made you sloppy, sir Yamaguchi!" with a few more swift strikes, Kiriya sent Kenshi flying upwards before crashing down and splintering one of the downed bookshelves, stripping Kenshi down to his undercloth.
Hikage let out a small gasp as his body thrust against the shelf. Kenshi's body was now a canvas of black, blue, and red as he coughed. "Well… aren't you going to finish it? Avenge your sister just like I aimed to avenge my love."
Kiriya let out a grunting sigh. "Ichika's choice was her own. As much as I disagreed with her path in life, I cannot change for her what she ultimately chose. My goal here is to protect those I care for. By knowing when and when not to interfere. By learning when to let go. Killing you would not only teach you nothing, but it would render me a hypocrite."
Kenshi let out a frustrated growl. Just then, the other Gokudō boys stumbled through the room. "I thought Compa told you to stay! Where is she?" Hibari exclaimed.
"She stayed back with your friend, Katsu. But we have to speak to our brother." Murasame replied.
The Gokudō boys gathered around a grunting Kenshi, who could barely move. "I failed. I failed my old gang. My Hinata… and in turn… failed my school… and my boys. Suzuki, your Oyabun asks for one final task." Suzuki looked worriedly into Kenshi's eyes. "I want you to take the blade on the wall and… help me commit Seppuku."
"SIR! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Murasame cried.
"Oyabun, no! I know I shit talk a lot where I shouldn't, but I don't want this!" Suraku's eyes began watering.
"I am no longer fit to be your Oyabun. I hid the truth from you all. Hurt you all. And couldn't even completely bring myself to kill my former daughter."
"You mean… you were holding back?" Homura asked, while Hikage let out a wide-eyed gasp.
"Could've shot her any time I wanted, but just the tiniest bit of hesitation lingered in the back of my mind… making excuses. Told you I was weak." Komichi sighed. "Komichi, my brother. You shall be Oyabun once it is finished."
"Th-th-… thank you… my… O-oyabun." Komichi choked out the words.
"If you would please, Suzuki. That's an order." Kenshi nodded. Suzuki took heavy steps over to the case, bringing out the katana, unsheathing it, his lips trembling as his drowning eyes looked around at his fellow grunts and the other girls. "Do it… Suzuki… you've been a wonderful brother to me." Kenshi stated. Asuka's words stung back to Suzuki. "A Shinobi has a choice".
The blade then clanged on the ground, Suzuki sobbing. "No. I won't!" Kenshi started to weakly scold him, but Suzuki interrupted. "It's against Gokudō law to backstab a wounded brother! I've lost enough family, I WON'T DO IT! I'D CUT OFF MY ENTIRE HAND FIRST!"
"And rob your brother, Komichi, the honor of being the next Oyabun?" Kenshi grunted. "Don't be foolish, boy."
"Forgive me, Kenshi, but you're doing it again." Komichi said. "You say Suzuki's robbing me of the title, yet you'd be robbing us all of something greater than any Oyabun."
"Don't leave us, Kenshi! I'd sooner cut off all my fingers too!" Suraku latched onto Kenshi's arm, sobbing softly.
"I wouldn't be here if not for you, sir! I still owe you a life debt! Don't take that away from me!" Murasame got on his knees, bowing his head.
Hikage slowly walked forward, looking down at Kenshi with a hint of emotion in her eyes. "Is it true… papa? You were holding back?"
Kenshi was silent for a moment. "Just a little. You caught me in a loop, little Hikki. Each passing second I looked at those cute little snake eyes… you reminded me of 'mama'. I guess deep down, I knew she wanted to protect our little girl. I was just too blind to see it. Seems I failed even at that."
"PAPA!" Kenshi gasped as Hikage suddenly held onto him, nestling her cheek on his chest as she used to all that time ago.
Kiriya since took a step forward, "You know… a wise shinobi once said, 'failure is just the harsh teacher in the class of success.' Perhaps now you can see that."
Kenshi looked up and around at his boys, then down at Hikage, who continued to embrace him. Placing a gentle hand on her head, he uttered Hinata's name before single drop leaked from his eye.
The other girls had smiles, some with tears in their eyes too when Katsuragi limped into the room, supported by Compa, complaining at how stubborn she was. "Katsuragi! Are you okay!?" Ikaruga asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, but where's the action?!" Kat asked.
"You missed it, I'm afraid." Yomi added.
"Oh, come on! Kiriya was fighting and I napped away!" Kat whined, much to the other's chuckles.
"Wait. Where is Asuka?" Ikaruga asked.
"Haven't seen her since we got separated." Katsu replied. The sound of a distant explosion suddenly rocked the scene as the Gokudō Academy roof was torn off, the gaping hole revealing a giant, dark ethereal hole tearing through the Kobe skies as harsh winds pulled all of them towards it.
