The village was a nightmare to look at, being the first sign of civilization seen by us in the new world the settlement left much to be desired. I would have believed it to be a ghost town if not for the one guy cleaning up his shop with a bamboo broom. According to Emi the town's name was Karakuri even though it had no business in Karakuri puppets, though I am pretty sure they did not exist in this world.
Karakuri was a neutral village, away from the influence of the Daimyos or any of the ninja villages. Their patronage was mainly by trading with said villages and other neutral villages or tending to the travelers who crossed the village in return of the ryo they could provide.
Currently I and Emi were outside one of the more spacious houses of the village, Emi knocked on the door and we heard some rustling behind the door, soon the door opened with a woman wearing a plain yukata stepped outside.
"Greetings, I am Ei Shino. How can I help you travelers?" she addressed us politely.
"Greetings to you as well Shino-san. I am Emi Yamamoto and this is my husband Yato Yamamoto. We were travelling through the village and were looking for a place to rest, could you please direct us?" Emi replied in a sophisticated tone.
"Ah! Married at this age, I congratulate you Yamamoto-san. You look tired from your travels, my family will be happy to have you as guests for the night."
The girl's happiness was genuine with her words and she seemed happy to be our host for tonight so when Emi looked at me I nodded.
She let us in the house and pulled out seating cushions for us and started to prepare tea, hanging the kettle via it's handle and a hook over the wood fire.
"I hope it would not be rude to ask but are you of a noble house, Yamamoto-sama." She addressed me with a 'sama' suffix which caught me a little off-guard but I did not let my image slip.
"Yes." I replied with a solemn nod.
"I see, can I ask where you come from. I have lived inside the village my entire life and thus wish to know more of the world outside." She asked with the kettle in her hand. The clay glasses on the tray were filled with an aromatic green liquid.
"The Yamamoto clan was a clan of warriors; we were the executioner's sword, the protector's shield or if need be the leading throne to the people loyal to us. We were born by the blade, we lived by the blade, we led by the blade and if need came we died by the blade." The analogy I had made in my mind before coming here as a background came handy.
Ei had a look of amazement in her eyes as she served us the tea, we both reached for it with two hands and calmly drank it after a few blows.
"Did your clan ever fight the shinobi?" she asked as she leaned closer.
I was a fair point since the title of shinobi held more value than one a simple mercenary or blade for hire. The shinobi were an organized force and held a magnitude of power high enough for even the daimyo acknowledged their sovereignty and while anyone could learn chakra techniques given they did not have crippled chakra coils, only the ninja villages held the talented clans had techniques and bloodlines which separated them from the common man.
"The shinobi are a resourceful bunch.." I started.
"But my clan has its techniques as well, we have at many times fought them on equal footing."
Ei nodded her head at the words, the boy may be younger than her but his clothes and entourage definitely gave the aura of someone prestigious. His travel without any adult reaffirmed her that he was from a warrior's clan since travel can be dangerous and only those confident in their strength can travel as just a pair. A scam artist could get the clothes but not the aura.
"I am home." A voice called out from the door as a woman similar to Ei walked in.
She had white hair with black outlines and bright eyes but unlike Ei who was dressed in a yukata, she was dressed in armour with a worn spear on her back.
"Ah, sister you are home." Ei jumped up to greet her sister as me and Emi decided to watch the scene of the household with a smile.
The armoured sister nodded her head with a smile on her face at her sister's welcome but her eyes were more focused at us which was expectable.
"Ei, who are the guests?" the girl asked, her eyes still on us.
"They are travelers who were asking for residence for the night, I thought we could host them for tonight."
The armoured girl seemed reluctant but conceded for she did not want to offend a guest by denying the hospitality after inviting them in.
"I welcome you, people of the Yamamto clan, I am Mei Shino of the Shino clan and the current leader of the village. I hope you find your stay here welcoming." The girl addressed us in a cordial manner and gave us a bow.
"We appreciate the hospitality you have provides us Shino-san, if you require anything from us please do not hesitate" I replied.
"I thank you for your offer. But for tonight; please let us be good hosts to you."
I looked out of the window to see the sun barely starting to set; we still had a few hours. Emi got up and started to help Ei with the cooking much to the younger sister's disapproval. While Mei didn't put down her amour and simply walked out of the house, a few things rustled outside and she entered the house again only to say goodbye.
"Ei, I will be leaving for a meeting. I will be back before midnight. I apologize I can't be present to entertain you during your short stay but the meeting is important for Me." she said with the last part addressed to her guests.
"Is it okay to go alone at such a time Shino-san? I understand if the meeting is important but you should not go alone."
"Yamamoto-sama is right sister, your meetings usually happened in the morning, what happened?"
"There were complications. Hence, the reason for the unusual timing. You do not need to worry about me." Mei said with finality in her tone, Ei did not seem to want to relent, so I interjected.
"If you would not mind Shino-san, I could accompany you to your meeting for your sister's peace of mind."
Mei did not seem happy with the compromise but Ei seemed insistent on pushing for what she could get.
"He is right Mei, Yamamoto-sama even knows Jutsus from what he has told, I can prepare food with peace if he goes with you."
"Ei he is our guest, having him accompany me for my own endeavors would not be signs of a good host. Plus, if I arrive late I can eat the cold food but having a guest eat cold food late at night is unacceptable."
"Well I will just prepare a late night feast then, Yamamoto-sama volunteered so he does not mind and I am sure Emi-sama does not mind as well, right?"
Emi only gave a nod.
Mei finally relented and allowed me to accompany her. She had a box in her hand as we exited the house and she directed me towards a dirt road which we followed along.
"May I ask what's in the box?"
Mei looked at me for a moment but relented.
"It is payment."
"I see." I concluded and did not proceed further.
After my enquiry our journey became quiet, she did not say one word or gave me a glance but I barely minded, it was her choice if she was keeping to herself and I could respect that. But she seemed to be keeping questions bottled up inside of her, her gaze may not linger on me but she definitely wanted to inquire and satiate her curiosities.
"How do you know chakra techniques, you do not look older than twelve-years."
She was bold and blunt about her questions, even bringing in the age of the body I had chosen.
"It was something I was taught." I lied through my teeth.
"But aren't you too young for that?"
"The ninja village have genin of similar ages."
"Hmm, so you are at least as strong as genin right?"
"….Yes."
"I mean she asked at least as strong as a genin, so I am not lying." I thought.
Her face grew conflicted at my answer, she stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes, I stopped and looked at her. She took a few deep breaths and then turned to me.
"I have something to confess, I wish you would listen to me."
"I am listening."
She relented again, clearly second guessing herself but the desperation was clear on her face. Within a few seconds she gave up her secrets.
"This is a long story and you have no obligation listen to it but I beg you, please help me." she started.
"The leader of the village next to us wants to bring my village under his jurisdiction as well, he hired a mercenary to harass our village, so in turn I hired one to protect ours. But the money my father collected throughout his life has run out and after this payment he is threatening to leave, he say I do not pay him enough."
"He is breaking the contract after taking his payment, I do not see how I can help you?"
"Yes, I know. I can't stop him but you are a shinobi, if you could get the mercenary hired by that man to leave using one of your justsus I could have time to hire another one. I just need more time."
"Hire another one? Do you have that sort on money on your hand?" She flinched at my words.
"No, but the village leader there is more wealthier than us, hiring another bounty hunter to serve as his enforcer won't be hard for him but I don't have another choice. At the very least with the time I could either hire a mercenary by giving him my family valuables or to evacuate the village before we are all slaughtered." She said dejectedly.
Her choices were logical, she may walk with warriors clothing but it was clear that she was a novice, her posture was not a strong one and her equipment was ill-maintained. Though it was curious how she thought of shinobi with such high standards; a lone genin could never take on an experienced adult mercenary, not without plot armor like Naruto. Though this village was a backwater on and shinobi carried a different brand of fear as compared to bounty hunters. After all, the leaders of ninja villages were known throughout the land for their ability to level cities. If their soldiers carried even a dust-worth of said power they could turn her fortune around.
"I am curious; it is a small island one piece of land is no different from another. Why does he want your land as well, moreover you are both lords of your lands. How come he is richer than you?"
"Because he does not lead the village he owns it like a plantation. The land which belongs to farmers is forcefully owned by him and the farmers are forced to grow whatever he wants. He made the farmers grow Indigo for the last two years. By selling a large batch of the flower to a textile manufacturer from land of fire he filled his pockets, but the farmland can now not grow anything other than weeds and the tides are a different nightmare all together. If he has his way even the locust swarm coming next season would not be able to fill the stomach of one insect." Her disgust was evident on her face.
I cupped my chin with my thumb and index and walked closer to her. She stiffened a bit so is stopped and decided to lean closer instead.
"I'll help you."
"Really!?"
"Yes but first you must learn a lesson." I said as I crossed my hands behind my back.
Her eyes widen as they caught a sense of hostility which was not there, her hands moved towards her spear but she acted to make it look like a feint.
"And what is that lesson?" the girl asked. Even though she felt threatened she could not give up her hopeful wish.
"Lesson 1: Have reliable knowledge of the subject before attempting to use it. While genin are stronger than an average human, bounty hunters kill people for a living and that can sometimes even include shinobi with a bounty on their head. Hence, a mere genin will not turn fortune in your favor." I said with a smile on my face.
My words caught her off-guard as her alert expression changed into one of horrible confusion, her hand was no longer near her spear and her stance was more casual now.
"Though you don't have to worry, I am not a mere genin but someone much more powerful."
A flabbergasted look appeared on the girls face as she held out a hand asking me to stop.
"Wait you are not a shinobi?"
"I said don't worry, let's go." I said while waving me hand.
Mei wanted to object but trusting me was her only option now. She gulped and followed as beads of sweat started to form on her forehead out of stress.
We followed the dirt path for about fifteen more minutes, it started to get dark the sun set down the horizon and the remnants of its light continued to light up the surroundings for a few more minutes before even they disappeared.
The night approached and with it we saw our destination, a tall man with a messy straw hat and a katana strapped to his waist. He wore a loose battle skirt and waited near a tree with his back leaning on it.
"So, you arrived boss lady." He said to Mei.
She did not reply but simply nodded, she moved in while I remained at a distance of a few paces so she could easily carry out the transaction.
She handed him the box which he took with one arm and opened to check with other. He looked at the money with a not so satisfied face but still closed box and stuck it between his body and the rope he carried on his waist.
"Well our business is concluded, I would have loved to do more business with you but my special discount could only last so long." He concluded with a smirk on his face.
"Yes, I understand Kai. You have to take care of yourself and I cannot fault you for it. You have already helped us more than enough."
"Well, thanks boss lady. It sure is a shame ain't it?"
"Yes, I agree." She replied.
She walked back and said.
"Well Kai our business is concluded. I'll head back now. You take care."
"I don't think so." This time it was a third voice which joined in on the conversation.
A man dressed in a similar manner to Kai jumped down, I could have killed him but he was clearly about to go on a monologue which the people of this world loved. So, I let him say his piece.
"Mei Shino, my boss man has got to have a few words with you." He said as he drew out his katana.
Mei readied her spear to protect herself bit another voice called out which made her eyes widen.
"Please Mei, don't flatter yourself. You can't fight off two bounty hunters now can you?"
Another man with white and light blue robes came from behind the tree; he was bald and had a nasty smile plastered on his face.
Mei looked at the man with bafflement and bit her lip at the situation which looked less than desirable.
"What do you mean?" she demanded.
"You are slow on the uptake aren't you boss lady." Kai said with closed eyes and a smug smile as he continued to lean on the tree.
"Kai?" she said still oblivious to the truth.
Kai smiled and stretched his hand in an explaining manner.
"Let me spell it out for you Mei, we conned you." Kai said.
"You see, around three months ago me and my brother Zoku over there were contracted by a client, who gave us a play and our roles. Zoku was supposed to be the big bad villain while I was supposed to be the hero with a side of selfishness. The villain threatened to destroy the village, while the hero saved it for a certain price. We were meant to enact this drama and leech the village dry for as long as we could. And would you look at that, we did." Kai explained.
"W-what but th-hat…." She was unable to finish as the robed man interrupted.
"You were always to naïve, Mei. You father was a good man and you always believed that his good deeds what he did was right. But when he died and your village came under danger and you were unable to protect it and I knew you would grasp at any straws you could find." He narrated as a smug grin stretched across his cheek after each word.
"I instructed Kai to act as a man under your father's debt. I knew even though you still had to pay Kai you would still do it ecstatically if it meant in your desperate times you could justify your father's foolishly just actions." He declared to Mei.
Mei was gritting her teeth but still held her spear. Her eyes were fighting to keep the tears of hopelessness at bay, but her father's teaching forced her to concentrate on the immediate threat. She knew she could not fight the bounty hunters but she was determined to stand her ground.
"Don't worry though, I won't kill you. Afterall, even with all the money I have a personal set of identical twins for my bed is still far off." He said as a toothy grin crept on his face.
"Ok, I have had enough of these mad monologues." I finally decided to intervene as I saw the conversation finally coming to an end.
The three men merely looked at me with light shock. Veins bulged near my head as my mind screamed at me to kill these guys for going on a minute long exposition filled speech while forgetting about my existence.
"Walk away kiddo, I was not paid for murder by my boss, yet." Kai said with an emphasis on the last part, clearly telling that the lord would be paying for my murder in a few minutes.
"I don't think so." I replied simply catching Kai off guard as he nearly slipped from the tree he was leaning on.
The lord grew impatient and gestured to Kai in mine and Mei's direction.
"We better get paid extra for this Shido." He said with a huff and grabbed his word from his waist.
I looked at him unimpressed and put Mei behind me; she was easily moved even though this body was much younger than her.
"Tell me Kai have you killed children before." I said before they rushed at me.
Kai looked at me with confusion but just shaked his head at the words and answered.
"Is this your last wish kid? Well, yes I have you won't be anything special kid, don't worry."
"No I think I am already plenty special since you just made it much easier for me." I quipped back.
He looked at me with quizzical eyes but the same eyes widened within a blink and blood dripped out of his mouth. He bent down on his knees as the energy left them. Zoku put down his blade and knelt beside his brother trying to find the cause of his distress.
"What happened Kai?" Zoku questioned but Kai did not answer, his eyes started to fill with blood as well. He closed them instantly upon seeing read and rubbed them with his wrist but the blood continued to drip from his eyes.
"What's happening? What did you do to me?"Kai screamed in my direction with the remnants of his strength.
I took one step forward still shielding Mei who grew more terrified by the second.
"You said you killed children, did you not? I'll say your sins were catching up to you." I said to Kai who was now fidgeting his brother knelt but his eyes were now filled more with fear than concern.
"The blood of the children you killed is filling your body. It is replacing every fluid in your body, from the saliva in your mouth to the bile in your stomach, from your sweat to your tears, from the moist layer on your eyes to the fluids inside of it. I'll dare say even the piss in your bladder is now all blood." I narrated to him as I skidded with each step towards him.
His eyes were more blood than they were bloodshot at this point, his fidgeting body gargled in the blood which was filling his mouth and the splatters of blood partially cleared his mouth barely allowing him to croak out his final words.
"Wh-Who are you?"
"Is that you final wish? Very well, I am Yato. Let this word accompany you to hell." I said with a bland tone. My indifferent face and unimpressed eyes were the final things he saw before he died.
A scream filled the forest; heads turned and saw the screaming form of Zoku running away from the robed boy. He ran away leaving behind his sword and even the dead body of his brother but his life was worth a thousand times more than either of the two he left behind. He could mourn an empty grave and fight with empty fists, but he could not do anything once dead.
"Hey, you were trying to kill me, you do not get the option of retreat," the boy said with his arms stretched out. His eyes gazed at the coward's form when suddenly the running man disintegrated into burning ash. The bright ash stoked in the wind as it fell; the embers on it flickered with the breeze of wind. It rested on the clothes of the man once known as Zoku the remainders of the ash flickered as if from a funeral pyre.
Shido collapsed on his back witnessing the acts of god. His mind tried to remain logical and find a solution but thee fear crept its claws into his mind. He tried to speak but his mouth only blew out air and his tongue refused to move. All that was heard from his mouth was huffing with his tongue slipping out of it. The god in the mortal plain turned to look at him, his eyes lined with same indifference he had with his two hired goons.
"Ah-h Yato-sama, please spare this man, please in your infinite grace find the kindness to spar me." the village lord buried his face in the ground and groveled begging the boy who still looked at him with a steeled gaze of judgment.
"I'll give you anything, please just ask." the lord bargained, lifting his head up and rubbing his hand, trying to entice the god before him with material possession.
"Please as if you could give me anything."
"No, please. Money, power, women anything you want."
"Silence, mongrel." I said channeling my inner Gilgamesh.
"You make it sound like you had something to bargain with in the first place. I own everything you have from the money you have hidden behind your cupboard to the gold you have hidden under it. You have nothing to give me because it all belongs to me. Now, Mei kill him."
She looked at me with shock. Her dilated eyes slipped back to normal as she snapped back to reality.
"He is your opponent is he not? I was your contractor today. Hence, I completed my job by killing his contractors. But you are his enemy not me. So, pass your judgment, leader."
Her eyes dawned with realization and shifted to the man lying on his knees. He was also processing the information and with eyes full of realization he stood up and pulled out a sheathed dagger he had been hiding inside his robes. He now held the unsheathed dagger with its hilt resting on his waist. Mei analyzed his body language and concluded that he was preparing to rush her with the dagger and stab her stomach. He moved quickly but her spear was ready and her body worked on auto-pilot. Her spear was readied and thrusted straight at his arms. The man was untrained and never faced a battle in his entire life. His weak constitution and poor posture contributed and the dagger slipped from his hand. Now sporting an injured hand Shido let out a scream but was immediately silenced as he felt a weird feeling in his stomach and his legs grew light. He looked down and gasped in horror to see the girl holding the spear firmly in her hand with a confused face. The spear continued down and its tip ended in his stomach.
Shido immediately fell down on his back, the spear moved with his fall to cause unimaginable pain but he could not even move a finger to do anything. He gritted his teeth and tried to curse out but was unable to do so. His consciousness started to fade as he looked at the girl who looked upon the horror of her first kill and behind her loomed the vengeful god who even with a short stature of a child carried a aura which dwarfed any presence the girl's presence had. As his consciousness finally gave in to the eternal sleep which arrived from him he only wished he could curse out the girl and the god. But even the spirit of the dying man did not dare mouth the god in fear of him seeking retribution beyond the grave.
Mei gazed at the now dead body of Shido which lay there with open eyes. Her father's spear still protruded from the man's stomach and blood continued to drip from the dead body. She gagged at the image and her mouth dried, the night was dark but the feeling growing inside her stomach somehow made it seem like the morning.
"Congratulations, Mei. You just learned lesson two." Yato said to her.
She turned to him with a confused look her white hair crept between her eyes.
"The Second lesson: to have swift judgment. Those fools who would dare stand against your justice must be dealt with for a leader can never compromise ."
"The fool of the Lord who thought he could manipulate you and take everything you cherished. Hence, it was your duty to strike him with justice as swift as lightning and as devastating as a disaster." He continued.
He passed by her and the fear made her spine shiver, she turned around to find him walking back.
"Calamity should only strike those who are deserving. Only when the collective humanity angers the nature and the city grow arrogant in their walls will the cyclone come to teach them the futility of such actions. Similarly justice strikes down the arrogant who dare cross the boundary of karma with punishment for both calamity and justice only have one purpose to bring the karma of man to zero ."
The words ringed by her ears but one word continued to ring on, 'Calamity'. The word ringed and she was reminded of her father's words about the god whose tale was net spread wide but his actions of destruction so devastating she remembered the name till today.
'Yato, the God of Calamity.' She remembered how his legend told of the river which turned to blood as the vengeful god emptied the hell of Izanami. Just so he could dump the dead bodies of children into the river which quenched the thirst of their killers. How he brought a storm of locust down a palace to eat its lord for the fields grew empty due to his gluttonous nature.
The god was one no one remembered yet in her time of need a man with the name of the same god descended to help her. Why? She had no prayers to the god which needed to be answered; she built no shrine which would bring her his gratitude. So, why?
"Are you a god?" she asked, still not convinced that the entire experience was not just one dream.
"Maybe I am?" he stopped and turned around to tell her with a confidence in his snile.
The answer broke the dam as she screamed the question.
"Then why help me, I have never prayed to you nor have I asked for it. Why did you help me?"
"Were you not satisfied with my assistance."
She flinched at the words and shook her head did not bear any malice for the god because she knew the god was right in having her do so. He interfered and killed for her she had no right to turn her back when asked for the same. In such times and in such places there is no justice other than your own.
"No, but I don't understand why?"
"If I needed prayers to do action I would be a puppet not a god." He said as he shook his head.
He inched closer and arrived near her. She did not step back and let him approach. He came face to face with her and declared.
"Now tell me. Oh lord whose justice is like calamity. What is your wish before this god?"
"What?" her eyes widened at the words.
"What is your wish, I ask?" he repeated.
Her mind shuffled but no words formed inside of it. Hence, no words left her mouth either.
"i-I don't k-know." She said after much trouble.
"Tell me any wish, it can be one from your childhood or one you had in passing. Doesn't matter how weird nor does it matter arrogant. The god has promised to one like him a favor and they shall have one."
Her mind still jumbled and her breath hitched she tried searching her memory and found nothing until one word left her mouth.
"Daimyo" she said.
The word left by itself, the distant dream of childhood, when she heard exploits of heroes and their battles from her father left her mouth and revealed itself to the god before her. A distasteful, arrogant and selfish wish uttered in front of him.
But he god just smirked.
"Daimyo, now that is a dream worthy of my hand." He said.
But to Mei the words of the god meant much more.
'The Daimyo's rule is one decreed by heaven.'
She remembered these words and the same words pushed the gods word to a higher standard.
She thought he would reject one like her and would not give her the right to rule, one similar to the Daimyo. But he declared the right hers and gave her the heaven's decree to rule by using his right as a god.
"A Daimyo decreed to rule by the god of calamity." She thought.
The mind caught up with the dream and she understood his words. She dropped down to her heels and bowed to the god.
"I, Mei Shino, first of my name swear to rule the land by your words as the Daimyo, Yato-sama."
The god merely gazed at her lowly form and pondered on her currently empty words.
"May your words become the actions of future and your justice the decree of this land, Mei-dono." He instructed her and she nodded.
Her life was now one devoted to a god, a god who answered her cries and asked for no prayers. As the Daimyo she swore her land would sing his name.
'Yes, the name of Yato 'the calamity of our enemy and the rage of our justice' would be worshipped for eternity.' She declared within her thoughts.
Author's note: Well this one is the last of the batch which I plan to publish on the site as of now. I would see the response and criticism for these and handle college after which I will proceed to finish the draft of the fourth chapter I had written. I hope you enjoyeed the chapter and life is treating you well.