Chapter 7:

Revelation

         

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~On the way through the forests, back to Gohda's Castle, Ayame seemed unusually quiet, deep in thought. Naoko noticed this, but decided not to bring it up. Upon reaching Gohda's Chamber, all 4 kneeled down, side by side until Goha bade them rise. Rikimaru eventually spoke first.~

"My Lord, as you can see, Ayame and I have brought them back safely. However, there is something that I think you'll find very interesting."

~Rikimaru gestured toward the two newest Azuma, both of them bringing forth their orbs, which held a faint golden glow as they were pulled out. Gohda gazed upon them with awe, Counsel Sekiya looked on with a little fear, knowing all too well what those objects were.~

"My Lord," Ren began. "We found these orbs during our investigation of the Jade Moon's hideout. As soon as we touched them, they lit up, encasing our entire bodies in their aura. They....."

"—gave us powers." Naoko chimed in. "Shortly after securing them, we were attacked by another member of the Dark Blade... a woman named Sayaka. We fought... and as we did, we noticed certain... abilities. Ren's attacks bacame immensly powerful. I... I could see where she was at all times, even when she'd hid herself from us perfectly. Even so, she was still able to get the upper hand on us...."
"And that's were Rikimaru and I came in." came Ayame. "Sayaka fled, but mentioned something about there being more orbs like these two. Nine to be exact."

~Sekiya's eyes widened. These were the legendary Kage Orbs, after all. Taking them, Lord Gohda turned to his Counsel.~

"Sekiya, can you explain these to us?"

~Sekiya stepped forward, a bit wary. Looking from face to face, he cleared his throat.~

"The objects you hold... are two Kage Orbs. I must admit, this is my first time actually seeing the Orbs for myself. I'd only previously heard of their legend. As Ayame said, there are nine of them. Each orb represents one of the nine "cuts" which give the ninja their power."

"The Nine Cuts Mudra...." Ren mused. "There are orbs for them?"

"Correct. The two Kage Orbs you've acquired, "Rin" and "Kai" both hold unique powers, as do all the orbs."

"Rin-- " Rikimaru began. He made the finger positions for each cut as he went along. He started with both middle fingers extended, all other fingers interlocked. "Strength of Mind and Body. That explains your sudden increase in power, Ren. Pyou, also called Kyo--" He extended index fingers and thumbs. The middle fingers curled over the indexes, while all others remained interlocked. "Direction of Energy. Tou--" Rikimaru extended his ring and fourth fingers, forming a V with fingertips touching. His thumbs were extended, other fingers interlocked. "Harmony with the Universe. Sha--" He extended index fingers and thumbs straight ahead, other fingers interlocked. "Healing of self and others. "

"Kai-- " Ayame continued. She followed suit, going through the finger positions as well, beginning by interlocking all fingers in a tight fist. "Premonition of Danger. That's how Naoko was able to 'see' Sayaka, and had the ability to predict her leading attack, only moments before it occured. Jin--" She simply shifted her fingers, so that they were all interlocked inward. "Knowing the Thoughts of Others. Retsu--" Ayame pointed her left index finger straight up, wrapping her entire right hand around it in a fist. Her right thumb pressed against the top of her left index. "Mastery of Time and Space. Zai--" She outspread all fingers, palms facing outward, with only her thumbs and indexes touching. "Control of the Elements of Nature.  And finally..."

"Zen-- " Rikimaru joined her, both speaking simultaneously, both forming the final finger positions. They covered ther left hands with their right hands, with thumbtips touching. "Enlightenment."

~Ren and Naoko looked on at them in pure awe as Sekiya continued his explanation.~

"Very good. Those are the Nine Cuts. Now, according to the ancient scrolls, these 9 orbs will "awaken" the hidden powers of those who come into contact with them. Since you were in such close proximity of each other when the Orbs were activated, the special ability of each Orb was realized in both of you."

"....But, I didn't feel much stronger while we were fighting..." Naoko interupted. Ren added, "And I couldn't see Sayaka when she hid, nor was a able to sense her first attack."

"True..." Sekiya said, "however, the effectiveness of each Orb is different for every individual. Usually, the Orbs are more or less potent depending on your innate abilities. Also, the enhanced abilities from each Orb will increase over time, as your skills as a ninja are further developed. Regardless, the enhacements given by any said Orb are always intensified if the Orb itself is on your person, rather than hidden away for safekeeping. One can only imagine the limitless potential one can achieve if all 9 Orbs are collected...."

"And the Dark Blade wants them." Ren said broodingly. "We can't let that happen."

"Yes...." said Gohda. "The Dark Blade already poses a great threat to us.... we cannot risk allowing them to collect the Kage Orbs."

"Well, we've got these two..." Naoko started. "There's no way they can take these from us."

"Yes.... but there's a problem." Sekiya warned. "The Kage Orbs.... attract each other, in a way. After they've been activated, they give off a certain "energy" for a while. This energy is why these two Orbs you have still glow faintly. As long as they give off this "signature" energy, they can be tracked by anyone who has any of the other seven Orbs."

~Naoko went wide-eyed. So the powers they were given came with a price...~

"So this means they'll be coming after us..." Sekiya nodded. "You will have to be cautious."

"But wait... doesn't that mean we can also track them? To hunt down the rest of the Orbs?" Ren asked.

"It should be so..." Sekiya said. Ren turned to Naoko.

"Naoko... can you sense anything? Maybe we can take initiative."

~Naoko closed her eyes, bowing her head a bit as she placed her hands on her temples. For several moments she was silent, motionless. Then she felt a strange sensation in the corner of her mind. But it was hard to decipher.... she tried to clear her mind, but it was like a cloud of various thoughts. It was like trying to look at the full moon while a heavy, dark foggy cloud covered it high in the sky. She knew it was there, but it was difficult to pinpoint anything. She groaned, kneeling to the floor as the others looked on. Then she opened her eyes.~

"I think I've got it. But I was only able to pick up on a few sources, definitely less than seven. Maybe that means that there are still some Orbs that have yet to be found and activiated.... in any case, the closest one is not far from here.... maybe 15 miles or so..."

"It's probably the Dark Blade..." Gohda said. "Regardless, I want you to rest before you go after them. You must be at full strength before you attempt this task."

~The Azuma nodded their approval, then left the Chamber.

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~A couple nights later, Ren and Naoko set out for the Kage Orb that Naoko sensed.~

"It's much closer than I remembered," Naoko remarked. "Now it only feels like it's a few miles away, maybe 5..."

"Closing in on us..." Ren scoffed. "Be prepared."

~The girl nodded as they continued through the forest. About an hour or so later, Ren thought he heard the faintest sound, bringing Naoko to a halt. She looked at him quizzically.~

"Something wrong...?"
~He simply motioned for her to remain silent, which she did. After a few tense minutes, Naoko shrugged, walking onward~

"It was probably nothing... c'mon, we can't waste time."

"Right..."

~Ren caught up with her, the two Azuma picked up the pace, as the moon loomed higher, ominous in the night sky. Suddenly, Naoko caught a flash in the back of her mind, gasping suprisedly. She dashed for Ren, diving for his midsection to tackle him to the ground just as a long, thin, shining object whizzed past her black hair, the object slamming into a nearby tree trunk. Ren looked up alarmed, the object would have hit him right in the neck if Naoko hadn't acted so swiftly. Ren rose quickly, Naoko getting up more cautiously as Ren examined the object. A glowing poison dart. He growled, angry at himself for not sensing it himself. He then shifted his gaze to the surrounding trees, trying to spot the attacker. Seeing nothing, he remembered that the Kai ability was more focused in Naoko. He turned to her urgently, but she had already thrown a handful of shuriken into a high treetop. A couple moments later, two figures dropped from the tree, Ren and Naoko dodging out of their way as they landed. Ren looked at them incredulously. They wore green. One of them, the smaller one, pointed a finger at Naoko.~

"That's the girl I heard about! She's the kunoichi who tried to interfere with the hostages at the village. Those two are Azuma ninja!!

"A couple thugs from the Jade Moon, huh? How'd you idiots get hold of a Kage Orb, anyway?"

~The smaller one narrowed his eyes, teeth clenched tightly.~

"Careful, Goro. Remember, these two have our Kage Orbs!"

~The larger, more oafish Jade Moon member Goro chuckled, brandishing a large, heavy scythe-like weapon easily in his powerful grip.~

"Well then Tetsu, looks like we'll just have to take them back."

~Ren smirked, slowly unsheathing Lighthawk as Naoko drew her twin daggers.~

"Looks like we could say the same thing to you."

~Goro grunted savagely, lunging toward the two Azuma while swinging the heavy curved blade of his scythe. Both jumped high up, into the treetops. Naoko looked to Ren as Goro prowled below.~

"So which Orb do they have? We need to know what to look out for..."

"I'm not sure at this point... just be on guard. Normally, I wouldn't be too worried, but with them having a Kage Orb...."

~Reaching into a pocket, Ren flung a few shuriken down to Goro. Seeing them coming, Goro deflected them with the scythe. The Azuma ninja hopped down, Ren swinging the Lighthawk for Goro's head as Naoko went after Tetsu. Hopping backward for space, Tetsu drew several more bladed darts, two fists full. He flung a few her way, but she dodged them with little effort, moving in while at the same time readying her daggers. Once she got close, she slashed at him, daggers slicing through the cold night air. He smirked evilly as Naoko caught a faint glimmer of golden light at the coner of her eye, which appeared to come from one of Goro's pockets. Just when Naoko's blades were only inches from Tetsu's face, an instant later, he was gone, a sharp pain suddenly in her torso. She looked down, one of his blades had pierced her stomach. An instant later, Tetsu was behind her, stabbing another blade into her back. She cried out, eyes wide and pained, kicking blindly behind her. She hit Tetsu in the chest, lifting him from his feet to crash into a tree trunk a few feet up from ground level. As he recovered, she pulled the blades painfully from her stomach and back, tossing them aside They clattered to the forest floor, some blood following in their place. Taking some cloth from a hidden sash, she quickly made a makeshift torquinet to stop the blood flow. Then, she pulled a small vial from the same sash, a vial which had the kanji for "Cure" on it. It was a poison antidote. She started to drink it as Tetsu moved in on her, leaping away in order to dodge more of his poison darts.~

~Ren's fight didn't look too good either. For someone with so much mass, Goro sure did seem very swift.... Ren couldn't get in a solid attack that wasn't blocked or completely dodged, even when it seemed as though Ren's strikes would otherwise be direct, unavoidable hits. After a failed slash aimed at Goro's chest, Ren found himself, hit in the head by the blunt end of  Goro's scythe, a second later, he was smashed in the back by a shoulder ram from the mighty Goro, which sent him straight through a tree. He propped himself up groggily with his arms a few moments later, Naoko landing silently at his side.~

"Ren... I think it's Retsu..."

"Mastery of Time and Space. Yep. There's NO way someone that huge could move that fast."

"Tetsu's inhumanly quick, too. He dodged my attacks, and poisoned me twice before I even knew what had happened."

"We gotta fight together....that's the only way."
~Ren stood up, Naoko readying her blades as he did so, her gaze fixed on Goro and Tetsu, who walked toward them slowly.~

"Right. I'll follow your lead."

~Ren held his katana in front of him, in a defensive ready stance, Naoko taking on a similar one. Tetsu chuckled arrogantly.~

"Awww.....aren't they cute?"

"Bakamono..." *Idiot... Ren sneered. "I'll wipe that smirk off your face."

~Ren dashed forward, Naoko jumping into a flip overhead. Goro readied his giant scythe, swiping it's massive blade at the nimble kunoichi. She, of course, saw this one coming. Cleverly, she clutched onto the edge of it, swinging around it to kick Goro in the face while avoiding the sharp end. Taking the cue, Ren ran full-speed, plunging his shoulder into Goro's stomach with force. Naoko backflipped away as the massive Goro flew through the air, slamming into a tree trunk bringing the entire tree and a few around it down with him in a thunderous crash. While Goro was down, the Azuma ninjas sprinted for Tetsu, who flung more poison-tipped blades at them. Not a single blade hit it's target as Ren and Naoko ran a zig-zag pattern to dodge them all. Upon reaching him, Naoko blocked one of his blades with a dagger while Ren slashed at his torso. Naoko swiped the other dagger at his neck, Tetsu screaming in pain as he fell backward onto the ground. Not wasting a moment, the ninjas both leapt away at the last instant, just as Goro's scythe swung at them, hitting Tetsu instead. Covered in the blood of his comrade, Goro entered a berseker rage, breaking the silence of the dark forest with his frantic yelling. He whipped around his bloodied scythe, slashing it through the air towards Ren. He ducked the initial attack, locking blades with Goro after that as he noticed Naoko sneak up behind. Goro raised his scythe into the air, taking away Ren's advantage in the blade lock as he lifted a leg, thrusting it into Naoko's midsection as he sensed her approach. Unfortunately, she did not see this one coming, and took the kick full on, being forced into a roll along the ground until she collided with a rock. Angered, Ren slashed at Goro, succeeding in forming a gash at Goro's side, but he seemed unfazed. Goro reached forward, grasping Ren's neck in a tight grip, lifting him a few feet into the air. Sensing danger, Naoko rose swiftly, leaping to Goro's back, plunging both daggers into his neck, causing him to scream violently. Taking this opportunity of temporary weakness, Ren lifted his feet to kick Goro in the chest, breaking the grip around his neck. Upon landing, Ren wasted no time in stabbing Lighthawk straight into Goro's chest, directly where the heart is located. Goro wavered momentarily as Naoko hung on to the daggers in his neck, he groaned in great pain. Then he collapsed, both ninjas hopping away, leaving their blades where they were as the giant fell. A giant cloud of dust rose, and it hung in the air for a few moments as the man stopped moving. When the dust finally cleared, the Azuma ninja took up their weapons again, Naoko fishing through Goro's pockets until he found the Kage Orb she searched for. She held it out in front of her, in her palm. Ren reached forward, placing his palm on top of hers. As he did so, the Orb lit up brightly, the brilliant golden glow breaking through the cracks in their fingers. Moments later, the familiar golden aura enveloped them, temporarily illuminating the forest. Then, as quickly as it began, the activation was over, the Orb returning to it's faint golden glow from before. Ren smirked at Naoko.~

"Well..... three down....six to go."

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Author's note: Yeah, I finally got around to updating. This is for all those who have supported me thus far. I hope you will continue to do so in the future. I also hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Also, in case you're wondering about the Kage Orbs.... they were, in fact, inspired by the Mudra of the Ninja. Info can be found here:

shell.world-net.co.nz/~jimgould/kujiin.html

'Till the next chapter!