Toshida Gaiden Chapter 11: Innocence and Loyalty
Toshida and Kakashi leap from tree to tree running directly through the lightning country on their way back to the leaf village. Toshida clutches his side, still reeling from his intense battle with Seshen, leaving his wounded opponent behind lying unconscious in the Village of Sin. Kakashi stares at Toshida, watching his every movement, looking for any sign that the dragon may have grown more aware then the two shinobi can afford to risk.
"How are you doing?" Kakashi asks.
"I'll be fine." Toshida coarsely responds. "My injuries would have healed by now, if we weren't trying so hard to make it back home. Most injuries I sustain can be healed enough by the dragon's chakra in a few hours, as long as it is the only thing I am focusing on. More serious injuries require a few days rest."
"Very well then. We should stop for awhile then."
"Not yet. We are too close to the cloud village. I am surprised that we have not come across any patrols yet. But if we get too close to the village I can almost guarantee that we will face a couple. Let us at least cross over this next series of gullies and then we can take a break." Toshida clasps his side yet again as the gash on his side continues bleeding. Toshida takes his hand off, inadvertently showing a blood covered hand to Kakashi.
"I think we should stop now Toshida. We will just have to take the risk. We need to dress some of your injuries before we move any further."
"I'M FINE!" Toshida blurts back, keeping his attention forward. Toshida focuses on the trees in front of him as he continues leaping from perch to perch. His vision soon becomes blurred and then finally blacks out. Toshida's body goes limp and he misses the next branch to land on and instead continues with the flow of gravity and falls straight to the ground.
"TOSHIDA!" Kakashi hollers before leaping toward the falling shinobi, grabbing him quickly out of mid air seconds before Toshida hits the ground. Kakashi carries the wounded shinobi to an open pasture just over the nearest hill at the bottom of one of the gullies.
As Toshida lay unconscious on the ground, Kakashi dresses the shinobi's wounds and see's that his injuries heal as much as possible. Meanwhile, Toshida's mind races as his mind falls into a dream. A dream . . . of times past.
The scene is nine years ago just after Toshida is released from the hospital after his graduation fight against Seshen. Toshida is walking back to the secret home him and his father have created in the five finger mountain range, far away from the prying eyes of the cloud village. As Toshida approaches the open of a cave, Akira Kunashiro leaves the dark depths of the cavern to greet him.
"There you are! Where in the hell have you been Toshida? I was beginning to worry."
"I was injured during the examination." A shy Toshida quietly responds.
"I see. And how did your examination go? Did you kill that other boy like I told you?"
Toshida does not look into his fathers judging eyes as he remembers his loss to Seshen Raiken. "No father . . . Seshen beat me."
"He beat you!" You? I have training you to be the greatest product of shinobi training ever since you could understand what I was telling you and you mean to tell me that bastard's son BEAT YOU!"
"I'm sorry father! He's strong and I couldn't . . ." Toshida is unable to finish his sentence as the back to Kunashiro's hand strikes him hard across the face. Toshida stands his ground and simply looks back to his father only to receive two more strikes.
"Don't . . . ever come up with excuses Toshida. You lost . . . because you were weak." Kunashiro glares down with disappointment at his son. "I have taught you everything I could, and you turn around and screw things up. All you had to do . . . was beat A CHILD! If you had killed that boy then the Raikage would have been broken . . . he would have been hurt . . . and we would have almost been even. But now . . . what am I going to do?"
Toshida remembers the Raikage's words about Toshida being able to choose his own path in life.
Flashback
"Every child should have the freedom to make their own choice's child. No child should ever be forced to follow a path that is not their own. I am surprised that you don't know that."
"I just . . ." Toshida tries to think of way to defend his father simply out of instinct . . . but is unable to shake the impact of the Raikage's words.
"I take it Toshida, that your parents had your life planned out for you?"
"Yes . . . Raikage-sama. My parents wanted me . . . to be a shinobi."
"And a very good shinobi you have already become Toshida. You would do your parents proud if they were here today. But is being a shinobi what you wanted to do with your life Toshida?"
"I . . . I don't . . . I mean I never . . . I don't know Raikage-sama."
"What do you mean you don't know? There are hundreds of different opportunities for a young man like yourself. There is no end to the possibilities."
"I never thought about it that way Raikage-sama."
"I will tell you what Toshida, I will pull whatever strings I need to, to ensure that you are a happy young man. If it means that I will lose you as a soldier . . . then so be it. If you wish to become a chef . . . or an architect, an innkeeper or a politician, I will do whatever it takes to see that you are on your way to accomplishing whatever your ambitions are. So please . . . take some time to think it over, and when you come to a decision let me know and it will be done."
Flashback Ends
Toshida dares not to repeat any of the Raikage's words as he knows that another lashing from his father would be evident.The idea of no longer training to kill . . . training for revenge . . . and being his father's tool, is like nothing Toshida had ever felt before. Instead, his mind remembers the Raikage being informed about Tarawa creek and the battle unfolding there.
"Father . . ." Toshida says. "I know that I failed you . . . but it won't happened again. I will go train harder then ever, and fulfill your wishes."
In response Kunashiro only smiles and Toshida . . . wakes from his dream.
"Wh-what happened?" Toshida says as he leans up from his laying position only to feel the pain in his side return. Toshida clasps his side and feels the bandaging freshly dressed on his wound. "I see. I suppose I should have listened to you huh?"
Kakashi simply nods as he adds a log onto a fire he has created, sending more smoke into the air and acting as a beacon to any surrounding patrols.
"Are you crazy Kakashi! Do you want do let the patrols know where we are?"
"There are no patrols." Kakashi says. "While you were asleep I scouted the surrounding area for more then ten miles. No patrols, and no sign of recent activity."
"No activity? That's impossible, the cloud village always has patrols out in this area, at all times. How can their be just . . . nothing?"
"I sent out my scent dogs when I was noticing such a lack of activity. One of them returned and had noticed a number of scents all coming from different directions, but funneling towards the same area. From what the told me, there were more then two hundred separate scents all heading in the same direction."
"Which direction?"
"All heading south, toward the thunder countries southern border."
"Southern border? Where the hell could they be going?"
"I don't know. But I would like to return to the village as soon as possible and perhaps find out. Can you move?"
"Yea I can move. My injuries have healed quite a bit since I was asleep. I will still need to take it easy, but I am well enough to travel."
"All right then. Lets move."
The two shinobi then set off back on coarse toward the leaf village. Leaping from tree to tree, perch to perch making great haste to return to their home as soon as possible.
Kakashi turns to Toshida with a question on his mind. "So what happened next?"
"After what?" Toshida responds.
"The Raikage gave you a choice. You could continue being a shinobi or do whatever else you wanted. I assume your father did not like that prospect. So what happened after that?"
Toshida shakes his head as he almost grows tired of Kakashi's curiosity. "Well you're right. My father wouldn't have taken kindly to the prospect of me choosing a different path. So I chose to do as I was told. I returned to the Raikage and told him that I only wished to serve him. He seemed almost disappointed in my decision, but did his best not to show it. He knew that having both me and Seshen as the two number one rookies in his military was too much of an interesting prospect for him to deny either."
The weeks went by, and the war between the leaf and cloud just kept getting worse and worse. The casualty reports kept ending up on the Raikage's desk . . . more names . . . more numbers. Attack after attack and counter attack after counter attack, the cloud's military force dwindled at a faster rate than the leaf's, and the stress began to build on the Raikage's shoulders. The village's faith in his leadership had been shaken and the number of funeral arrangements being made daily was wearing deeply on his soul. He may be a sinister and underhanded individual when it came to his rise to power, and the way he maintained it. But I will give him credit . . . he loved his people and his family. And I think it really hurt him to see so many of his countrymen and women being brought home in funeral shrouds.
Toshida and Seshen walk side by side down the main street in the cloud village, dressed in thick overcoats and hoods to protect them from the cold temperatures of this time of year. The sun is out in full force, but the chilling breeze is enough to make anyone forget about the burning orb high above them. Seshen and Toshida both wear a set of dark goggle like sunglasses to protect their eyes from the effects of snowblindness. A common problem in the thunder country during the colder seasons. The two are walking away from the Raikage's palace with their hoods up and goggles on, as they start passing the most recent caravan from the front lines. The caravan consists of seven horse drawn carriages all packed with either the dead or the injured, with dozens of walking wounded marching slowly along the sides of the wagons.
"Man, this scene is getting old." Seshen says. As he lowers his head and removes his goggles for a minute, jostling his cloud village head protector in the process, and then quickly readjusting it.
Toshida lowers his hood as well and removes his goggles, running them along the length of his braided ponytail to completely remove them. His head protector hanging diligently around his neck. "I agree. They just keep coming in day after day."
Seshen and Toshida walk along the length of the caravan surveying the injured as they walk by, showing the utmost in curiosity but still doing their best to remain respectful of those who are fighting for their country. One of the wounded soldiers, a man in his mid twenties, braces him self on a make shift crutch as he walks along side the wagon. The man collapses from exhaustion and Toshida is quick to rush to the man's aid, cradling his head and offering the man a drink of water from his canteen.
"MEDIC!" Seshen shouts abruptly to the front of the caravan, drawing the attention from two of the clouds medical ninja's who quickly move in to take over for Toshida.
"Thanks kid." One of the medics says as she slings the wounded man's arm over her shoulder and begins to help the man walk to the caravan's destination, the hospital just over the next hill.
(Music: Queue "Oh! Student and Teacher Affection" from the Naruto OST III)
Seshen scratches the top of his head as he continues surveying the injured. "Man this sucks! How much longer is this war gonna last? I am getting sick and tired of seeing casualty carts wheeling in the dead and dying. Then seeing them get patched up, and then sent right back out again!"
"The leafs are strong senpai. We have found a worthy adversary. It will just take longer for us to win, if we win at all." Toshida says, as he blocks the sun from his eyes as he looks out toward the front gates.
"If we win at all? What the hell is that supposed to mean you dumb ass!" Seshen spouts off, as an angry scowl comes over his face. "The Cloud is the strongest village in the five countries and these leaf pigs will learn it soon enough."
"You are way to hot headed Seshen. You need to learn to relax a little." Toshida says, almost laughing off Seshen's retort.
"Bite me, dick head!" Seshen says, raising his middle finger to his old rival. "I just want to know when it will be our turn."
"What do you mean OUR turn?" Toshida questions.
"I mean I want to know when father is going to start sending out the top genin's on missions to help aid in the war effort. All of our chuunin's and jounin's are either out on the front lines or they are behind enemy lines pulling some real S-rank missions." Seshen almost cracks a smile at the thought of finally seeing battle. "It is only a matter of time before the Raikage decides that the war effort will need to become complete, and the strongest of all the genin's will start getting B and A rank missions. Cause I am not sure about you but I am getting a little tired of all these C and D class missions. Shoveling the palace walkway and de-icing the front gates is not my idea of benefitting the war effort!"
"I have to agree with you on that. If I have to replace one more cold cracked carriage wheel I think I am going to snap." The two shinobi both share a laugh and a smile for the first time in many weeks. Toshida smiles both outside and inside as he and Seshen have seemingly found a common ground in which to communicate with one another.
The two had never been ones to simply go out and take a stroll throughout the cloud village. Neither of the shinobi partook in any of the games the other children would play, and the academy was not in session for the next few days. The two both separately spent their time training or immersed in their studies. For Toshida, it was nice to be able to just spend time with another human being. One that wasn't giving him orders . . . or telling him how he will live his life. But another child, in a similar situation . . . a comrade . . . an equal.
"So you say only the strongest genin will be asked to perform these missions eh?" Toshida says, as he turns his back to Seshen with a big smile on his face.
"Yea that's right. Why?" Seshen asks.
"Well I just figured that since I will be the first one asked to go on one of these missions, I will let you know how they are when I get back to the village." Toshida blurts out with a smug grin across his face, determined to get a rise out of Seshen.
"HAHAHA YEA RIGHT!" Seshen laughs out. "You and I both know that I am the stronger of the two of us. You only graduated because I made you look so good in front of the Raikage! And besides, I got promoted immediately to the captain of Alpha team. You got to settle for second rank in Delta squad. So yea, tell me another lie dumb ass!"
Toshida just shakes his head as he laughs along with Seshen. No witty retort and no more insults between the two. Their laughing is soon cut short when Seshen notices Shin walking at the end of the caravan.
(Music Ends)
"Shin-sensei!" Seshen shouts as he runs off to hear his fathers right hand, tell him of the most recent battle. Leaving Toshida behind who only stands and stares menacingly at the man who he is being trained to kill. Toshida leaves the two to talk to one another and he continues on his way through the cloud village. Waving goodbye to Seshen as he leaves.
More days would go by as usual. I would have the academy training lessons, walk home passing more casualties on my way into the mountains to continue with my training. I soon noticed that Seshen wasn't coming to class anymore, he had indeed been called into active duties outside the village and was receiving training from the village ANBU teams as well as other special jounin's. Apparently using a child to complete missions was proving to be more effective then the Raikage had originally thought. He had more faith in his son's ability then he did with more then half of his jounin. It wasn't long before I heard of Seshen being given a field commission of Chuunin.
(Music: Queue "Loneliness (Kodoku) from the Naruto OST)
Everyday, more and more genin were called up to perform missions, while I was left behind.
Toshida sits in the academy classroom bored beyond belief, listening to the shinobi instructor at the front of the class as he dictates and instructs the remaining class members in numerous area's of study.
Everyday listening to the same old thing, day in and day out. Coming in to see another empty seat in the classroom where another child used to sit. I could almost see a ghostly image of the child that used to sit there. Now they were out on missions. And I was left behind.
The cloud village is one of the only villages that continues academy schooling even after a genin promotion. You simply move up in the grades and study throughout certain points in the day, you work missions with your team on other parts of the day, and the rest of the time is spent training. Most people got to go home afterward and relax, but I simply went home to more training under my father's forceful hand. Then I would wake up, make my way into the village, and find another empty seat in the classroom.
Even the instructor changed several times, as one teacher would leave on assignment to the front and another would take its place. And I . . . was left behind.
Until one day while on one of my walks through the village, another casualty caravan came rolling through the village. The wagons were filled with corpses . . . of genin no older then I was. Some of them even younger than me. It was then that I decided . . . that I didn't want to be left behind anymore.
(Music Ends)
Toshida walks through the dark torch lit hallways of the Raikage's palace on his way to the main throne room. Passing numerous Jounin on his journey even this late at night. As he comes up to the giant black and gold doors of the rooms back entrance he takes a deep breath as he places his hand on the doors surface. Toshida strikes the door twice, sending an echoing wave throughout the room before an reply is heard.
"Come in." The Raikage's quiet voice says. Toshida opens the door and walks in to see the Raikage sitting at a desk behind the main throne looking over more of the casualty reports that arrive on his desk everyday. The Raikage holds his face in his palms and the remnants of a few tears are visible on his face. "Ah Toshida!" The Raikage says, bringing a smile to his face, seemingly like the only smile the man has made in many months. "This is a bit of a surprise. Please, please come in!"
Toshida walks toward the Raikage's desk being gestured toward a seat in front of the Raikage's. "Please Toshida take a seat." The Raikage says in a happy voice.
"Actually is it alright if I stand, Raikage-sama?" Toshida responds looking downward and not making eye contact with the Cloud village leader.
"Only if you can look me in the eyes when you speak young shinobi" The Raikage says, smiling as he tries successfully to get a smile out of Toshida. "Now Toshida, what can I do for you?"
I knew what I was there to talk to him about . . . but for some reason the words would not reach my mouth. I wanted to tell the Raikage that I was angry with him . . . that I wanted to know why it is that he wouldn't let me fight. Why it was that he insulted me by making it seem like I wasn't good enough.
But that wasn't why I was really there. I wasn't angry because I was having my skills ignored . . . I was tired of seeing my classmates disappear. I was sick of seeing their families weeping in the streets as their bodies were brought back home for burial. I hated not knowing how they were doing . . . whether or not they were ok. Only knowing that they were fighting for their home while I was siting in class listening to some third rate instructor babbling on about shuriken tactics and how to read a map!
"Raikage-sama . . . why haven't I been sent to the front lines with the rest of my classmates?" A quiet and nervous Toshida asks.
The Raikage's cheerful smile fades from his face as Toshida's words are of a very personal nature. "Well Toshida . . . I don't think you really want to fight."
"What? But . . . I have always scored high marks in my classes and I just want to help."
"Yes Toshida. But I can see it in your eyes . . . you don't really want to be here. When I asked you about the choices in life that all people can make, I could see that you were confused and uncertain if the path you were walking was the one that you wanted. But since you decided to continue on this journey, I figured it was because of some other influence. Not from your own will. You don't want to be a shinobi. And it wouldn't be right of me to send you off to fight when you could be doing something else."
His words were shocking to me. This man whom I had been taught to hate, was caring more for me than my father ever had. How could he choose to send his son out on missions that could result in death, and keep me behind because he didn't think I wanted to fight.
"But Raikage-sama, I am one of the only ones in my class left. I could be useful in this fight . . . I could run whatever missions you need . . .or even help with repairs to weapons at the front. Why won't you use me Raikage-sama?"
"All of those genin who I sent out to the front lines, wanted to fight and to even die if necessary for their home. I just don't think you can honestly say the same Toshida."
Toshida grinds his teeth as the lessons from his father are foremost in his mind. Being trained to live a life that could end up killing him, has been Toshida's entire purpose in life. But for the first time, Toshida wants to fight for something other than his father's interests. He wishes to fight . . . for his comrades . . . and for his home.
Toshida calms down quickly and looks the Raikage straight in the eyes. "I am prepared to die Raikage-sama. I am prepared to die for my home . . . and for my comrades." Toshida notices the Raikage shaking his head as he rises from his desk and begins to turn his back on Toshida. "I want to fight Raikage-sama! Send me to the front lines!"
The Raikage angrily turns around to face Toshida, pointing a judgmental finger at the young boy as he scolds, "You haven't the vaguest conception of what you ask boy!"
"Please Raikage-sama I want to help!"
"You cannot ask this of me . . . YOU CANNOT!" The Raikage screams, showing the intense burden that has been plaguing his heart for so long. The Raikage lowers his head and begins to regain his composure in front of the still focused yet nervous Toshida. "I cannot send another child off to die. I can't bare to see another one of my children come home in a funeral shroud."
His children? The Raikage considered me to be one of his children? My mind was racing with confusion at the mans words. This man was showing that he genuinely cared about me. Not as a tool . . . or a weapon . . . or a resource that could easily be exploited. But as a human being and . . . as a son . . . a child. All the things that my father never did.
"Did you know Toshida . . . that Seshen was in the village recently?" The Raikage asks.
"Wh-what? Seshen was here? Why . . . why didn't anyone tell me? Why didn't he come by the school I wanted to see if he was . . ." Toshida stammers for a minute, as caring and compassion, have never been his strong points . . . for they were never taught to him by his father. "I wanted to see . . . if he was ok."
"He arrived more then a week ago. But he wasn't able to visit the school, because he spent his entire stay in the hospital."
"Th-the hospital? But . . .wh-what happened to him?"
"During one of those missions I sent him on, he suffered some serious injuries. His injuries caused him to miss his transport at its rally point and he was forced to walk . . . for three days back to the village. He made it halfway to the hospital before he collapsed." The Raikage does his best not to show anymore emotion in front of the young shinobi. "And being the loving father that I am, I rushed to be at his side while he recovered. And as soon as he was healed, do you know what I did Toshida?"
"No sir . . . I don't."
"I SENT HIM RIGHT BACK OUT ON ANOTHER MISSION!" The Raikage's bottom lip quivers as his eyes tear up, overwhelm by emotion. "What kind of father does that to his son? What kind of leader does that to his people?" The Raikage's disposition becomes more then clear as the valiant leader of the cloud village, reveals himself . . . as a man broken up inside over the plight of his people. "I had no choice but to send my adopted son out on another mission . . . that could have him come home only to be buried. But as the leader of this village and the military leader in this country I have to make decisions from this office everyday that will be sending more of my countrymen to their deaths. Even . . . even their children." The Raikage turns his back to Toshida and hangs his head in front of him. "I cannot have another genin . . . another child, stand here in front of me and ask to die."
"Raikage-sama!" Toshida pleads. "I beg of you . . . I don't want to see any of my classmates return home that way either. But . . . I can no longer sit idly by while my friends . . . and my comrades die in this war while I am left behind to simply watch another casualty caravan stroll into the village. Please Raikage-sama, I am not anxious to die, I am just anxious to make a difference. To know that I did my part to see to it that my classmates and my countrymen return home."
The Raikage and I would stare each other down for a little while longer, before he broke down and finally gave me a field commission of chuunin and sent me off to the front. I didn't tell my father that I was leaving, and I packed my supplies and readied for battle. The Raikage was their to see me off the next day before I joined the next caravan to the front.
The Raikage kneels in front of Toshida as Toshida stands, dressed in a cloud shinobi's uniform. His protector with cloud village insignia tied firmly around his head with his shoulder length dark hair draped over the sides of the cloth, and the hair at the back of his head raised up in a ponytail and draped over the knot at the back. He wears a dark brown traveling cloak over top of his dark blue chuunin's vest for added warmth and his shuriken pouch strapped to his right leg.
"I will tell you the same thing that I told Seshen, when he left for the front. I want you to make sure that you return to me . . . alive. You got that Toshida?" The Raikage says, as he places his hands on Toshida's shoulders.
"I understand Raikage-sama. I will do the village proud. And return home when the war is over."
The Raikage reaches under his robe and pulls out two small sheaths. "Here. I want you to have these Toshida." Toshida takes the sheaths and removes the decorative blades. Two wooden handles engraved with cloud village insignias and symbols, at the bottom of two curved scimitar like blades with decorative designs carved into the metal with the blades being perfect length from Toshida's wrist to his elbow. Toshida begins to spin and juggle one of the blades over top of his wrist and around either side of his hand with perfect precession, surprising the Raikage.
"Full bodied and triple riveted design . . . heavier handle to balance out the blade . . . and an angled grip for easier wielding. Thank you Raikage-sama." Toshida smiles as he straps the blades to his belt, fastening them horizontally along his back at hip level.
"Go now Toshida. Keep safe and return home soon." The Raikage watches Toshida as he runs to join up with the rest of the caravan, waving goodbye to the Raikage as he leaps into the back of a wagon filled with supplies and a few other shinobi. The wagon leaves the village, and makes its way to the nearest outpost.
We traveled for a day in that wagon before reaching the next outpost. I transferred to a different caravan, carrying nothing but new shinobi to the front. That caravan took me to the front lines where I would see battle for the first time. I could here the echoing of explosions and steel on steel from more than a mile away. We passed through the mountains and into the next valley. Then past another gully and into the wide open space that was the destination. I could see a massive army of shinobi massing across the wide open field more then three miles away. The green grass had been stained red in numerous spots, and I could see the glistening of steel in the battlefield from shuriken left behind, and the army from the cloud set up in tents making a temporary base of operations as they too had begun massing for the next assault.
We all stepped off the caravan and walked down the hill and then walked knee deep into the rushing water that circles and intersects part of the battlefield. We crossed the creek and walked up the hill only to see the ridge that the cloud had been holding. We walked through the tents and small shanties set up along the plateau on the way to the ridge.
I left the rest of the shinobi behind as I walked to the edge of the ridge to see the battlefield in its entirety. It was more then fifty meters down the hill to get to the valley below. From there, the valley spread out for almost three miles before the horizon filled with the leaf encampment. I was overwhelmed at first, being a child so young at such a grand battlefield. But soon afterward, I began to smile . . . as part of me deep down . . . was more excited then I had even been.
"You there!" A voice calls from behind Toshida.
"Yes sir?" Toshida responds.
"Are you one of the new arrivals?" The cloud jounin asks.
"Yes sir, I am." Toshida says, as he turns around to be addressed by his superior.
It would be soon after that I would realize, that my request to be sent to the front . . . would be the greatest mistake I would ever make.
"Well then," the cloud jounin says. "Welcome . . . to Tarawa Creek.