This story has been beta by Steven Bodner and TheReader2011. Enjoy!

Kenichi glanced at his five opponents who had clearly surrounded him. Besides Satomi and Hyogo, the other three were transitioning in between High Disciple Class and Expert Class.

'I suppose I should be thankful there aren't any girls,' thought Kenichi, glancing over to Miu where she was surrounded by four.

"Don't you think it's a bit presumptuous to think that we won't help!" shouted Takeda as he charged forward, along with the others.

The rest of the Yomi Armed Division came to intercept them, intending to stop them.

"Punch through!" shouted Tsuji as he gleefully launched himself at Sigmaringen.

"You got lucky last time," snarled Sigmaringen, "You won't be this time!"

The Shinpaku Alliance clashed against the Yomi Armed Division, but Takeda managed to pierce through the formation thanks to the others giving him an opening.

Before he could take another step, Takeda had to raise his arms to block a kick, sending him backwards before Takeda flipped to stop his momentum.

"Good to see you're following orders, Kano Sho," drawled a Kuremisago member as Sho landed on the ground, his foot settling back down.

Sho didn't respond, but rather chose to silently face Takeda.

"Go!" ordered Satomi as he charged at Kenichi, with the others following through.

Kenichi took a deep breath as he used Ryuusui Seikuuken, slightly nervous but calm. He parried a kick from behind, using his opponent's momentum to shift himself away from the center of the circle, landing next to one of his opponents, who was surprised to see Kenichi already there. He took a step to try to punch Kenichi, only to find his ground ruthlessly taken by Kenichi. Desperate, he flailed slightly to regain his position, only to be elbowed in the ribs by Kenichi. Before Kenichi could grab him though, he had to jump away from a stab from Hyogo.

"Hraa!" shouted Satomi as he came flying in with a punch, to which Kenichi quickly caught.

"Nice strength, but is it enough!?" shouted Satomi as his foot performed a seal that drastically increased his strength.

With a roar, Satomi sent Kenichi flying to the ground, but Kenichi managed to flip and land on his feet, crouching down as he landed to disperse the force of Satomi's punch.

"Fighting against multiple opponents at once isn't easy," breathed out Kenichi.

Miu was blocking kicks from Natsuki before rolling under Hatsuki's grab attempt, springing off the ground before trapping one of the Kuremisago's head between her thighs. With a huff, Miu twisted her body, attempting to hurl her opponent's head into the ground.

Miu had to abort her attempt when another one of her opponents threw several knives at her, forcing her to push off her opponent to dodge while Natsuki quickly saved her other opponent from hitting the ground too hard.

"As expected of the daughter of the holy maiden," intoned Hatsuki, "To be able to fight all of us and still manage to almost take one of us out."

"We must capture her for our crusade," stated Natsuki.

Miu huffed as she brought out her Dou Ki, her body brimming with it. In response, the other fighters brought out the respective Sei and Dou Ki. It was obvious at glance though, who had the better Ki control and mastery.

"Can't wait to bring her back into the clan," grinned a male Kuremisago member, glancing over at Miu, "Heard that to ensure the proliferation of our clan, we're going to purify and then breed her to ensure her line stays within the Kuremisago. I'm looking forward to my turn."

His rather careless remarks resulted in something he certainly didn't expect. He thought he was safe with Kenichi being distracted by others when he found himself staring straight at Kenichi, who had somehow seemingly teleported right in front of him.

Kenichi had used his meteor hammer to wrap around one of his opponent's ankles, jerking it up to trip him. At that same moment, Kenichi parried an axe kick with his foot, guiding it away from him. In one swift moment, Kenichi pulled his opponent towards him before grabbing him by his head. Turning on his foot, Kenichi threw the right one at Hyogo, and in the same breath, used his left foot to kick the other Kuremisago member that tried to axe kick into Satomi, who managed to block it with a cross arm guard, but still sent flying.

While Hyogo and Satomi dodged/grabbed the flying people, Kenichi sprang towards the last member who made that comment like a snake striking at its prey.

Zensui Strongest Combo 1

Kenichi slammed his combo onto his opponent, who desperately tried to defend himself from the sudden onslaught. Though he managed to block the first two hits, he couldn't stop Kenichi from grabbing his legs and launching him up into the air. The Kuremisago ninja tried to reorient himself in the air, only to find himself staring at Kenichi with his leg raised up behind him.

Quickly reading Kenichi's body, the Kuremisago ninja quickly raised his arms to protect his waist, thinking Kenichi was aiming for his torso.

However, he misread Kenichi's attack as the kick was a mere feint, and his real attack was using his three-segmented staff that he had grabbed when he launched the ninja up in the air. Using his back to cover his intention, Kenichi swung his staff right into his opponent's head.

A crack could be heard as the Kuremisago ninja was sent hurtling towards the ground, leaving a dirt trail when he hit the ground, only to stop when he hit a tree.

As he began to lose consciousness, his last thoughts were regrets about his blatant comments as well as why he felt something hit his legs while trying to block Kenichi's onslaught.

Sho whistled innocently in his mind as he parried a punch from Takeda. He had taken offense to the man's word, and so while nobody was paying attention, Sho 'accidentally' kicked a pebble with his heel while backstepping from Takeda's uppercut. The fact it hit Kenichi's opponent while trying to defend himself from Kenichi's onslaught was totally by accident.

Yep. Completely coincidentally accidentally friendly fire.

"You're not bad," complimented Sho as he dodged a flurry of punches from Takeda, "Better than the scythe guy over there. But not good enough."

Sho weaved through Takeda's punch before landing two quick blows into Takeda's stomach, forcing Takeda to back up in pain.

"Sturdier too," hummed Sho as he saw Takeda raising his arms back up once more.

"Don't think such an attack would be enough to take me down," growled Takeda as he cautiously began to approach Sho once more.

"Isn't it time for the rest of you to join," drawled Hyogo, glancing over at the Unarmed Division of Yomi, "Some of your friends have already joined."

"We're just basking in the glory that is the Armed Division," said Rachel sarcastically, though glancing over at Ukita. She knew that he was the weakest of them all, but he was actually doing pretty decent.

"Still, I guess it wouldn't hurt to join!" cheered Rachel as she leaped over as she trapped Ukita between her thighs.

By doing so though, she deterred Albrecht from attacking Ukita, who was just as well distracted when Kisara tried to kick him in the face. Being distracted, he never noticed Rachel subtly pushing his blade away from them.

With a twist of her waist, Rachel threw Ukita to the ground, but Ukita managed to recover quickly by using his hands to prevent his face from smashing into the ground, rebounding off it back to his feet.

"Are you really not planning to do anything?" drawled Hyogo as he tried to stab Kenichi, who parried it with his gauntlet, "Our masters ordered us to eliminate them all. I'm sure as Kushinada's disciple, you'd obey that order, right?"

Chikage slowly nodded as she began to step forward, her eyes rather dim as her Ki began to leak out her body.

Back at the master's fighting ground, Mihai was cackling as he was engaged in guerilla tactics, attempting to slash at his opponents while their attention was focused on others. Hongo was rather displeased at this tactic but chose to remain silent for the while.

While Yami did slightly outnumber the invaders, Ryozanpaku and the others managed to find breathing space. However, they were slowly being pushed back, due to Kushinada ruthlessly attacking and capable of subduing at least two of them at once.

"Still, something feels off," hummed Mihai, "Though they added more numbers, why didn't they put everything in this force? They should still have some more."

At that moment, both Hongo and Mihai realized that the invasion had been a diversion, and quickly turned around, heading back to base.

The vanguard force wanted to stop them but was unable to when Mildred managed to pull out a backup bow from somewhere and was now peppering them with arrows after littering a good chunk of the battlefield with arrows that she had pulled out from somewhere, probably the same location from her backup bow. It was more difficult as she was aiming at their weak spots in their defense, and could manipulate the arrow to change directions mid-flight.

Shiba had 'conventionally' disappeared, allowing Yami to think Shiba had ditched the group, either fleeing or chasing after One Shadow. Having one man disappear just made it easier for them to annihilate the rest, so they didn't pursue.

"Shiba!" growled Akisame in anger, making Yami buy the act.

Akisame was growling in anger, but according to Niijima, Shiba's disappearance from the battlefield saved Niijima from being killed by Senzui. Niijima didn't know what had happened after he had been tossed away to safety, but suspected Shiba had lost when Senzui had almost made it into the control room after some time.

In the end, they made a calculated decision and decided to do the same, even if it put more pressure on them.

Kushinada was gently walking on the nocks of the arrows with her toe, floating around like a fairy when she approached Kagero, dodging his slashes with his hoe.

"Kagero… I've enjoyed watching you wield the power to plow the earth from a man of darkness, but your time of demise is upon you," declared Kushinada, "It's time for you to truly become one with it."

Kushinada used her Ki and speed to create duplicates of herself, confusing Kagero for a moment before he used Usuba Kagero to attack whom he thought was the real Kushinada, only to find her suddenly standing behind him. He turned around in time just to see her hand rushing towards his chest.

Kushinada-ryu Chichunage (Underground Throw)

Kushinada slammed Kagero into the ground, burying his whole body into it from a 'simple' push.

"May you rot away in the earth you so loved," said Kushinada as she stood back up, with Kagero's hoe coincidentally standing up from the ground like a gravestone, "Now then. It's time to eliminate them all. Defeat is not an option."

Danki saw Kushinada reaching out for him from behind while he was blocking an attack from Raki, and quickly dodged, only to get an arrow to the arm from Mildred.

Akisame rushed towards Kushinada, his palm striking Kushinada's back with such force that it created a shockwave. Akisame, however, realized he had failed to actually land a palm strike, and that Kushinada's hands had grabbed his wrist from behind her back and stopped it, even in such an awkward position.

"When you Katsujinken come together, you certainly show your worth. However, when you defend your allies, your hearts lose focus and show weakness," said Kushinada calmly.

Akisame realized he had been baited into a trap as Mildred nocked 8 arrows at once and fired them all at him simultaneously.

Akisame caught two aimed for his eyes as he used the rest of his arms to protect his vitals. However, three of the arrows were intercepted by Shigure, who grabbed three arrows from the ground, and with a small bow she had somehow hidden, fired them all.

"You left yourself open!" shouted Rin as he slashed at Shigure, who managed to barely dodge his attack, though it shredded her kimono, letting her chest jiggle in her chainmail as she jumped back.

A shield, or more specifically Marmaduke's shield, flew across the battlefield, courtesy of Taiki wrenching out of her grip and throwing it across. The shield blocked another three of the arrows, leaving only one to slip by, which Sakaki blocked with his arm.

"Sakaki, are you alright?" asked Akisame as he quickly pulled out the arrow.

"Bah, it's just like Ma's acupuncture needles. Just made me stronger," growled Sakaki while Kensei yelled out in outrage at that insult.

Regardless, though, Kushinada's presence was a major threat that they could barely handle. Her abilities to swiftly change targets left them helpless as they were being heavily pushed back. All while Senzui was monitoring the situation, noting the other countries were still panicking and not providing aid at all, pointing fingers at each other.

While Mildred was happily shooting at the vanguard strike force while moving closer, she began to hear someone singing right below her. Mildred realized that in her eagerness to get a little closer, she had stepped right over what was supposed to be Kagero's grave, only to find him still alive, and she was giving him an unobstructed view of her groin.

Whether Kushinada had underestimated Kagero's body, or had gone slightly easy on him based on their past relationship was unknown.

"I can hear the earthworms and crickets cheering me on," sang Kagero, "Do your best!~~ Do your best! Defeat the person who's stabbing the earth with her arrows!~~ Chirp Chirp!"

"Die already!" growled Mildred as she quickly pulled an arrow out and aimed down at Kagero, only for him to easily dodge as well as lift himself out of the ground.

"This is it! The power of the earth shines on me!"

Hidden Sword Technique: Otogoe no Tenchi Gaeshi (Supersonic Heaven and Earth Reversal)

Kagero instantly began to plow the earth, destroying the countless arrows Mildred had set up as he continued to plow the earth around him in a spiral formation, destroying Mildred's ammunition.

"Stop plowing through my arrow field!" shouted Mildred in anger as she quickly drew out multiple arrows.

Double Pupil Bow, Writhing Hedgehog

Eighteen arrows flew towards Kagero, who seemed to ignore them in favor of plowing the field.

Suddenly, Kagero felt like he heard a familiar voice calling out to him. Like a lover he had always carried. The sound of a sword.

"Uni head, catch!" shouted Shigure as she suddenly tossed the package she had been carrying the whole time. The package unraveled as it flew in the air to reveal a katana.

More specifically, Kagero's beloved Setsunmaru.

Kagero instantly caught the tsuka with his left hand, relishing the feeling of his beloved katana for a second before it blurred. The katana seemed to sing with Kagero as he used it to cut the arrows aimed at him.

Kagero seemed to be in a slight dilemma about being reunited with his 'old lover' while wielding his 'new lover' before realizing that he had two hands.

"With my right hand, I will plow the earth, and with my left, I will defend those who wish to harm it!" declared Kagero as he began to plow the earth with his hoe on his right hand even faster, using his katana on his left to defend himself from attacks. He only stopped when Seitaro attacked him, blocking the kodachi with his katana before jumping away, though not before sending a few stabs back at Seitaro, who blocked it.

"Kushinada-dono, did you have a difficult time with this one?" asked Seitaro as he calmly slashed his kodachi downwards while Mildred cried in tears at all her arrows being torn to bits.

"I'm merely having fun," stated Kushinada calmly, "For a bunch of young brats, they're quite skilled. Especially since they managed to escape my grasp for a little."

Danki and Taiki landed a few feet away from the others, but both were breathing heavily. Danki winced as he had felt Kushinada's grip on him before he had been tossed a few times, but looked worriedly at Taiki. Taiki had managed to rescue him, wrenching him away from Kushinada's grip before she could fully disable him, if not kill him. However, it had come at a rather drastic cost.

Taiki winced as he looked down at his right arm, unable to even lift a finger. It was swollen red from the shoulder down and completely dislocated at the shoulder, elbow, wrist, index finger, and middle finger.

When Taiki had freed Danki, Kushinada had punished him by momentarily grabbing his right arm, and with a simple twist utilizing her technique, dislocated all those areas. She had intended to flip Taiki and smash him into the ground, but he managed to escape with Danki, though sacrificing his arm to do so.

"Taiki!" shouted Akisame in worry.

"I'm alright," grunted Taiki as he used his left hand to forcefully relocate his shoulder back in place, followed by the rest of his joints, "I can still fight."

Though he could still move his right arm, its strength had been severely reduced, forcing him to favor his left hand for the rest of the fight.

Apachai launched himself at Kushinada when she began to get closer to Danki and Taiki, only for his flying knee to be shut down by Kushinada's absolute invisible dome of control she erected. Before Apachai could react, he found himself being slashed by Seitaro, who instantly followed up Kushinada's parry.

Shigure, Kensei, Akisame, and Shigure tried to attack the duo to prevent them from injuring Apachai further, only to find Kushinada and Seitaro instantly working together flawlessly, blocking and attacking them.

"Satsujinken working together, using infinity?" hissed Akisame in disbelief.

"Raigou-dono is well-versed in Katsujinken before and can utilize combo techniques as well. A rather talented member of Yami's Armed Division," said Kushinada, leaving out the fact that she had practiced Katsujinken before, and had teamed up with the Elder many times in the past. Of course, she didn't want others to think that she was closer to Seitaro than she was to the Elder.

Raki took advantage of this to launch a sneak attack on Kensei, slashing him in the back.

"It's time we ended this," declared Kushinada as all of Yami began to surround them. Danki and Taiki were at a disadvantage due to their injuries. Kagero, despite his second wind and being reunited with his beloved Setsunmaru, was still hurting from Kushinada's throw.

The rest of Ryozanpaku were sporting various injuries, with Shigure's kimono being torn and her chainmail barely hanging on to her as her bare chest hung in the wind.

At the base, the Tanaka couple knocked out the guards stationed there before motioning for Niijima, the Pankration team, and Renka's co-disciples, Genson and Ryu.

"This way," ordered Niijima, taking them through a hidden entrance that he remembered from the last timeline.

"How exactly did this go if you know the secret entrance?" asked Tsutomu curiously.

"Last time, Satomi was waiting at the base for us, ordered by Miu's father to lead Kenichi, Miu and me to where Shigure was being held. Of course, he obeyed it, but he also obeyed the other order that was to kill us," replied Niijima, "Now hush, we can't let the enemy hear our chatter."

While Mayu huffed in silent anger at Niijima's brush on her husband, she let it go knowing they were deep in enemy territory.

"We'll have to be fast," ordered Niijima, "Last time, I ended up having to go alone since Kenichi and Miu had to fight Satomi and his goonies. I almost died because of it, but this time, we're more prepared."

The others nodded as they swiftly moved, though wondering how Niijima was somehow able to keep a speed almost equivalent to a High-Class disciple.

Chikage, after acknowledging Hyogo's order, began to use the same tactics Kushinada had done. Her disruptive throws were creating openings that the Armed Division of Yomi began to ruthlessly attack them.

Sigmarigen was gleefully following up on any openings he could see.

Chikage had avoided targeting Miu and Kenichi since there were already too many surrounding the two to be able to attack them.

"That girl has been re-educated," sighed Lugh as he watched Chikage go wild.

Sho frowned as he watched Chikage grab Takeda and hurl him up in the air for Albrecht to attack him with his executioner blade. Takeda quickly crossed his arms, using the gauntlets Shigure had crafted to block the attack, sending him flying into the river.

"The Kushinada-ryuu disciples are something," chuckled Sigmaringen, "They follow their master's orders without hesitation."

"She's different than usual," said Rachel with a frown, "The fact she was always struggling was her main attraction and charm."

Chikage grabbed Kisara by her pants, lifting her up into the air. Elfreda quickly peppered Kisara with arrows, to which she desperately blocked with her greaves, deflecting them away.

Sigmaringen cackled as he wound his arm back, ready to stab Kisara in the stomach while she had no way of defending.

"Time to die!" shouted Sigmaringen as he shot forward, turning his body to stab Kisara with his scythe.

Suddenly, he felt something latching onto his right arm. Correction, he felt something grabbing his left wrist and right arm.

Sigmarignen slowly turned his head to see Naoki latched onto his right arm. However, what he was more terrified of was the hand gripping his left wrist. A hand with a gauntlet that looked quite familiar as he traced it slowly to the source to see Kenichi standing there.

'Wasn't he supposed to be fighting Hyogo and the others!?' thought Sigmaringen in a panic.

Kenichi had been fighting them when he saw Kisara in danger. Parrying Satomi's Ki-empowered punch, Kenichi used Shiraha Nagisha to parry Hyogo's attempted slash. As it glided on his arm to his elbow, Kenichi used his elbow to deflect the blade towards Satomi.

Seeing the blade coming towards him, Satomi had no choice but to jump back to dodge. Kenichi took this chance to break through the encirclement, ignoring the other two Kuremisago ninja's attacks, while still using Ryuusui Seikuuken. One of the Kuremisago ninjas threw a kunai towards Kenichi's face while another tried to kick him in the knee. Kenichi dodged both attacks, though the kunai nicked him, cutting the bandage he had on his face. Still, that didn't deter him as he rushed forward and grabbed Simaringen's wrist.

Naoki himself had been hiding in the first place, having been told by the others to remain slightly behind them all. The reason for this was for him to be the wild card that Yomi wouldn't expect.

Both teenagers glanced at each other, and with a grin, twisted and threw Sigmaringen hard into the ground face first.

"Assholes, sneaking and ganging up like that!" shouted Sigmaringen, unable to see the hypocrisy of his words. However, before he could do anything else, a palm touched the side of his head.

Koppou no Toushi

Sigmaringen felt his brain rattle inside his head as he stumbled back, still managing to hold onto his scythe.

"What's with people and aiming for my face?" mumbled Sigmaringen.

"Like I said, you have a really punchable face that everyone wants to punch!" shouted Sho from the sideline, causing both sides to snicker.

"That, and you're supposed to be fighting me, not running away to sneak attack!" shouted Tsuji.

Chikage, still in her dark mode, rushed to find another target, only to stop when Naoki came tackling towards her. She parried his grab before hurling him to the ground, but he managed to escape her grasp. Both of them were familiar with grapples and throws, and so Naoki was able to escape Chikage's Ki-enhanced throws and even counter her.

"You can't win like this," said Naoki as he landed on his feet, "You think doing all this is right? You're aiming to kill innocent people! Do you think if Kaede and Honoka die, then you'll surpass them via default!?"

A visible twitch and muscle tick could be seen on Chikage's forehead as her aura began to fluctuate.

'Ooh, right in the bullseye,' thought Tirawit, 'Those two girls are a sore subject for her.'

"Watch out, more reinforcements!" warned Ukita as the Danzan soldiers and even Kuremisago disciples began appearing from the forest. Compared to the last timeline, there was more because they had received confirmation that Miu was there, and so sent their forces to capture her.

"We're getting close," declared Niijima as they rushed through the building.

The other nodded as they kept running in silence.

"Above!" shouted Mayu as she and Tsutomu jumped, intercepting Mihai, who had descended down trying to cut Niijima.

The three clashed against each other, attacks flying out as gravity began to take hold of them.

"Go on ahead, we'll take care of this!" shouted Tsutomu as he ducked under a slash from Mihai.

"Keke, don't think it'll be so easy!" grinned Mihai as some soldiers appeared.

"We'll take them on!" said Spartacus as his fellow brothers and sisters attacked the soldiers, forcing a path open, "Go on ahead!"

Genson and Koan nodded as they followed Niijima further in.

Deep in the island where the Elder and Oganosuke fight, month in without sleep

"Where is he?" murmured Oganosuke as he carefully scanned the environment, his dual katanas ready for action, "His Ki has completely vanished."

'Did he run away?' thought Oganosuke before shaking his head, 'No, even if he tried to, I would've noticed.'

"Time is on my side, Furinji!" shouted Oganosuke, "The more it passes, the more likely your comrades will fall!"

Oganosuke slashed at an area, thinking he heard someone there. He rampaged around the island, trying to find the elder to no avail. For an hour, the Elder had been missing.

When Oganosuke heard a sound, he immediately attacked the general area, sending trees flying into the air.

"That noise," murmured Oganosuke, "Is it some sort of special breathing technique he's utilizing to prepare for a big attack? Or maybe it's some sort of soundwave attack."

Teioryuu Hiou Shirangiri

As an image of a dragon full of Ki was created as Oganosuke slashed the area once more, he still did not see the Elder. However, he had already locked onto the sound that was continually being made.

"Very good, Furinji Hayato! To think you could keep up with me in this battle for so long!" complimented Oganosuke as he slowly approached the source of the sound.

'Is it a trap? It has to be a trap. It's a trap! But I'm ready for any sort of trap," thought Oganosuke as he slowly peered over the log, parting the bushes with his hands.

He was not prepared to see a sleeping Elder with half-eaten food on the side. All that noise that he had been so cautious about was merely the Elder snoring away.

Teioryuu Hiou Shirangiri

Oganosuke slashed at him with his secret technique, but the Elder snapped awake and escaped before the attack could hit him.

"Fwahahahah!" laughed the Elder as escaped the attack.

"You bastard!" roared Oganosuke in outrage and disbelief, "You actually took a nap in a life and death battle between us!?"

"I was being weakened, so in cases like this, it's either sink or swim! So I decided to go for it. Thanks to being able to sleep and eat for an hour…" yawned the Elder before suddenly putting in a burst of speed, appearing above Oganosuke, "I have a bit of my power back."

Furinji Ninryoku Goukenha

The Elder slammed a punch from above with a lot of power that he had regained. Oganosuke barely had the chance to block it with both of his katanas while he was sent hurtling towards the ground.

"You mad man!" hissed Oganosuke as he regained his balance.

"Wahaha, don't compliment me!" grinned the Elder as he began to push forward to attack.

'Strange. Though he did sleep and eat, he shouldn't have gotten this much power back,' thought Oganosuke as blocked the Elder's attack before loosening his grip on his katanas, 'There wasn't much protein that he could've gotten, based on what I saw that he had eaten.'

Oboro Guruma

The Elder managed to deflect the attack without injury as the two stared off at each other before Oganosuke commented how this situation was perfect for Satsujinken.

"Hmph! Your objective may be my life, but my objective isn't yours. Rather, mine is everybody's life in world peace!" shouted the Elder as he threw a barrage of punches.

'You're going to use the strength you regained to escape!?' thought Oganosuke in outrage, "And you call yourself a martial artist!?"

"Fool! That is what martial arts was always intended for!" roared the Elder in reply.

Ougi! Shinken Nehan Mekkai Mandala

Both men that were revered as the strongest in the world of martial arts used their ultimate technique against each other.

Fists and blades clashed against each other as each man tried to gain the upper hand. However, the Elder found himself slowly being backed into the corner as the clash kept going.

"Indeed, I have the upper hand because you aren't trying to kill me!" grinned Oganosuke.

Suddenly, an orange blur shot forward, causing both men to look down to see a fox that the Elder had spared attacked Oganosuke, biting his hand.

Oganosuke reacted by trying to stab the fox, but the Elder caught the katana with two fingers. It was then that Oganosuke realized that he had left himself open. One hand was occupied by the fox biting him, the other trapped in the Elder's finger, meaning he had no way of defending against the Elder's free hand.

"CLENCH YOUR TEETH!" declared the Elder ominously as his eyes glowed with Ki, his free hand raised and clenched behind him. Oganosuke could see the Ki gathering into the Elder's fist and gulped as he clenched his teeth.

BBBAAMMM

The Elder's punch slammed into Oganosuke's chest, sending him hurtling towards the ground once more. This time, Oganosuke couldn't recover enough, and slammed into the ground body first.

In the old timeline, the Elder took this chance to escape after landing such a blow, even though he knew it wouldn't take Oganosuke out of commission, but enough to give him a good head start.

In this timeline however…

Furinji Tenkou Ryuujin

The Elder slammed his next big hit right into Oganosuke's stomach while carrying the fox to safety. This time, he was making sure Oganosuke stayed away.

"It's certainly been a challenge, but I must take my leave! Farewell Oganosuke!" shouted the Elder as he dashed away, leaving a semi-conscious Oganosuke in a crater.

"... I lost," breathed Oganosuke, "Though the fox interfered, it is still my loss for losing control of my temper. But still, even if this battle is lost, the war will be o-"

A silver wrapping suddenly floated across Oganosuke's face. Though it quickly whisked away in the wind, Oganosuke clearly saw just exactly what it was.

Alien Space Bar! High calorie with high proteins for your body's needs! Sponsored by Shinpaku Alliance.

"They were prepared," gasped Oganosuke, "They knew this was a trap, and decided to jump it anyway with preparation. They turned the trap for Furinji Hayato into one to ensuring that I wouldn't be there, and risk it!"

Oganosuke managed to pull himself out of the crater, looking into the distance in time to see the Elder, who had been running on water, jump into a speed boat that had clearly been prepared beforehand. He could see a man yelling into the radio before hanging up and saluting the Elder.

"This war… the outcome has yet to be decided, it seems," mused Oganosuke before relaxing back onto the ground. Since there was nobody on the island, he would be safe. Not to mention even after taking such punishing blows from the Elder, he was still more than a match for any other masters.

"Everyone, wait for me! I'll be there soon!" shouted the Elder.

"You really do care for your friends, especially her, don't you?" grinned Satomi as he attacked Kenichi once more with Hyogo and the two other Kuremisago ninjas attacked him, "That's why you'll lose! I gave up everything for martial arts! I was someone without talent, someone who originally wasn't supposed to live past 20. Yet I defied it all, thanks to martial arts! You, who were born talented, could never understand that!"

'I understand it much more than you think,' thought Kenichi as he parried and dodged their attacks.

Furinji Chigiguruma

Satomi crouched before leaping forward, spinning as he did so as both fists punched towards Kenichi.

Kenichi blocked the attack by throwing his weight against the punch, using his arm and leg to block the punches. The impact sent him back a few centimeters, his leg stamped into the ground to prevent himself from falling, leaving a trail of dirt.

"Watch out now, your precious friends are in danger," drawled Hyogo as he stabbed Kenichi, who blocked it with his gauntlets.

With the added Danzo units, they were, indeed, far outnumbered now. Each one of them was now having to fight several opponents at once.

"Kyaa!" shouted Miu as one of the soldiers threw a bolas at her, wrapping it around one of her legs.

"Now's our chance!" shouted one of the kunoichis as she dove for the bola, hoping to grab it and pull Miu to unbalance her. However, in her haste, she left herself open for Miu to grab her via Kushinada-ryuu. A simple tap on her arm, and the kunoichi felt herself jumping into the air without realizing it before Miu slammed her into the floor before hitting her with a silat strike

"Don't you realize what you're doing!?" shouted Naoki as he avoided being thrown into the floor, "Honoka and Kaede would be sad you took this path!"

Chikage, who's mood had been fluctuating ever since she had been fighting Naoki, blinked as light suddenly flooded her eyes.

'What was that?' questioned Chikage as she began to ponder what she was even doing. She had shut her mind off just to follow her master's order, but several things shook her mind back on. One was fighting Naoki, whom she quarreled with whenever the boy hung out with Kaede and Honoka with her. The other was seeing Miu actively using Kushinada-ryuu, which shocked her out of her dark mood. And finally, a memory that flashed into her mind. Of her time at the gardening club, where she planted some Myosotis, a.k.a. forget-me-not.

"Do you know the meaning of these plants?" asked Izumi with a gentle smile.

Chikage had been ready to snap back a harsh reply when she saw the smile, and decided to humor her.

"It's a really simple meaning. These Myosotis plants are commonly known as forget-me-not. While they are used for many things, the main simple thing is 'Don't forget me'. I like them because of how they can remind a person that no matter what happens, the most important thing is to never forget yourself, and remain true to your heart," said Izumi.

Chikage snapped her eyes open, glancing around to see Thor being stabbed in the thigh, Siegfried being slashed from behind by Shera, who was taking revenge for being unable to land a good hit back at the theme park, and others in danger.

"Coward!" shouted Tsuji as he barely dodged a slash from a Danzan soldier as he tried to reach Sigmaringen, only to be stopped.

"It's war! Anything's fair as long as I win!" cackled Sigmaringen.

Ukita roared as he caught two blades with his bare hands, stopping them but struggling against the two soldiers trying to overpower him.

"Oy, quit screwing around and fight! Are you trying to go against our master's orders?" shouted Sigmaringen in irritation, looking over to see Berserker and the others still standing there.

"... This death match is ours, master?" said Berserker sarcastically.

"Don't you get it! This is war!" shouted Albrecht, "All that matters is crushing the enemy!"

"And this one's out!" grinned Sigmaringen as he raised his scythe to split Ukita's head in half.

Suddenly, Chikage dodged Naoki's attempt at a grab, but instead of countering, ran full tilt towards Ukita. In an instant, she threw the Danzan soldiers and Sigmaringen into the air.

"What are you doing?" demanded Hyogo as he blocked a punch from Kenichi, who was surprised at the sudden turn of events.

Kenichi glanced over at Miu, who seemed just as surprised. They had both assumed the second wave of reinforcements had arrived to help them out the first time. They were unsure if this had happened before, since they hadn't been there in the first place.

"I could ask you that!" said Chikage, "Are you trying to soil the name of martial arts! Killing our enemies like this… is something I judge that will only sully our principles!"

Berserker and the others, who had merely been standing by, smirked as they charged forward, surrounding the Shinpaku Alliance, but instead of facing them, faced the Armed Division and soldiers, as if protecting them.

"I stand my ground here right now, for the honor of my master!" declared Chikage as the others nodded in agreement, "Don't you agree… Master?"

"So you've made your decision," hummed Hyogo, "Looks like you Unarmed Division aren't as together as you thought you were. It's best to cull them now. Hunt the traitors down, and take their heads!"

Satomi growled as he couldn't do anything, nor could he believe that almost all of them had defected. At least Sho and Natsu seemed to still be on his side, though Sho was standing on the side now while Natsu was still fighting Renka.

As the two sides began fighting in earnest, Kushinada was trying to call Chikage back, standing a bit further away from the fight.

"Chikage, don't think too much and follow the original plan. That's an order," said Kushinada.

"Master, I learned much when I was blending in with the common people. That there are times you must oppose the ones you are trying to save, for their sake! If we follow through with this plan, it will ruin our masters' pride as well as our faction. So I do this to correct what should be correct, out of my own will. A path that Ryozanpaku's disciple has shown me."

Kushinada remained silent, glancing over at the Ryoznapaku strike force before asking one of the other masters to reign in their wayward disciples.

"Also, I should mention that the Kuremisago has a rather vested interest in capturing Furinji Miu. One of their members mentioned using her as a breeding stock," piped Chikage.

She was unsure why Miu knew their jiujitsu style, but decided to inform Kushinada just in case there was something going on there.

Kushinada almost destroyed her communicator and had to stop herself from leaving the battlefield to protect her precious pseudo-granddaughter.

'Calm down, I won't let Senzui and his clan have their way with her after she is captured,' breathed Kushinada.

One by one, each disciple that was currently rebelling against the plan made their case known.

Kensei found himself thrown onto the ground before Edeltaft tried to chop him in half. Kensei grabbed the blade to stop him, but it put him at a rather perilous position. Standing right in front of them was Ma Sogetsu.

"The fate of this little man is now in my hands!" shouted Edeltaft, "Now then, sever his ties to this mortal world, and embrace the title of the moon which you inherited!

Same time

Renka hissed as her fight with Natsu had been interrupted when one of the Kuremisago ninjas managed to stagger her with a dagger to her thigh. Albrecht took this chance to swing his blade downwards to kill Renka, only for her to catch the blade with the palms of her hand. Unfortunately, thanks to the dagger, she was forced onto her back as she struggled to keep the blade away.

"Now then, kill this woman! End your feud with her, and sever her ties to this mortal coil!" declared Albrecht.

Both Sogetsu and Natsu took a step forward in their respective situations, with Sogetsu taking a sip of his alcohol. Then, at the same moment, Sogetsu slammed his wine gourd right onto Edeltaft while Natsu twisted his body before slamming a whiplike punch into Albrecht's face.

The master and disciple didn't even need to communicate with each other before knowing that they would make the same decision. To oppose Yami and the Eternal Sunset.

Sogetsu's bottle shattered as Raki questioned his motives.

"What am I doing? Isn't it obvious?" grinned Sogetsu, "Getting in your way! I was never enthusiastic about this Eternal Sunset in the first place! My disciple is the same!"

"... The lightning of calabasse is the melody of a dreamer," said Edeltaft before his face contorted in rage and attacked Sogetsu.

Sogetsu smashed a palm strike to the chest, followed by an elbow to the stomach, forcing Edeltaft to back off.

Kushinada's eyes traced down towards the broken wine gourd before her eyes saw something that shouldn't have belonged in there. A small chip within the shattered remains of the wine bottle. She knew immediately that it was most likely some sort of tracking device.

The truth was Natsu had been opposed to the Eternal Sunset as soon as he heard their primary target was Japan. His company was primarily located in Japan! He had a little sister he needed to take care of! And to do so without any hardship, he needed money. The fact Yami was going to target Japan without any consideration was enough to defy it. He had no desire of bringing his little sister into the underground world of martial arts, and he doubted Yami would take care of her in his absence since she wasn't a martial artist, nor was he that high in the rankings.

And so, he had a tracking chip he got from Niijima despite him knowing where the base was as a backup in case Yami did somehow change bases.

Natsu had 'dropped' the chip in a location he thought wouldn't be discovered… If Sogetsu hadn't found it first within the first minute of dropping it. However, instead of telling anyone, Sogetsu took the chip… and tucked it within the ropes of his wine gourd. He had been watching Natsu closely, and realized something had changed with the private meeting with Natsu and the three-time travelers. Kaede had laid some hints, not enough to get the whole story, but enough to know that Natsu didn't want to side with Yami for the Eternal Sunset.

Sogetsu knew that no guard or civilian would ever think about checking his gourd for fear of death, and so it was the safest place to put it.

"Sogetsu-dono, do you intend to defy the entire will of the One Shadow Nine Fist?" intoned Kushinada.

"Heh, everyone? I don't think so," chuckled Sogetsu.

Indeed, Agaard defected after exchanging a few punches with Apachai before punching Marmaduke, who had tried to sneak behind Apachai to cut him from behind. He also disliked the Eternal Sunset, and in the end, decided to follow Sogetsu's example. His own disciple was of the same opinion, so it wasn't much of a hard choice.

Kushinda, getting slightly desperate, tried to threaten Ryozanpaku.

"You should know that we still have a few masters held in reserve here. It wouldn't take much for an order to be sent to capture your disciple. Although the ones in reserve are no One Shadow Nine Fist or Eight Executioner Blade, they are strong enough to capture him," threatened Kushinada.

The plan backfired as it not only fired Ryozanpaku up even more, but caused Cyril to defect, launching a surprise attack at Kushinada, who barely dodged it as her necklace was ripped apart along with parts of her clothes.

"To think you would suggest such a plan!" huffed Cyril, "Throwing your pride as a martial artist and suggesting using a hostage as a shield. And you call yourself a Satujinken? I already noticed from the growth of your disciple. Reducing people to mere weapons and lowering them to match the level of war. It's far different from the ideals of the Eternal Sunset that we once envisioned!"

In the previous timeline, Kushinada merely pushed his rambling away in favor of focusing on trying to ensure the Eternal Sunset happened. This time, however, those words penetrated a bit deeper than before.

'I would never raise my pseudo-granddaughter as an emotionless weapon!' thought Kushinada before she realized she had done that to her adopted disciple daughter. The chance that she might do that to Miu chilled her more than she realized.

Still, the fact remained that the tables had been turned. Despite Taiki being out of commission for a while, the strike force had gained three more while they lost three.

"What are you doing, Hermit!?" shouted Hyogo in anger.

"What's it look like?" asked Natsu sarcastically before grabbing Albrecht by the chest and smashing an elbow to the stomach, sending him reeling back, "I wasn't a fan of this plan in the first place!"

'Not to mention I owe Shirahama and the others far too much for saving Kaede,' thought Natsu, 'I won't let her live in fear of death from war!'

"You… you… Why didn't you say anything earlier!?" huffed Renka as she got up.

The top right of her dress had been ripped from dodging an arrow from Elfreda, leaving a rather large cleavage window.

"I don't need to explain everything to you," replied Natsu.

"You do now! Take responsibility for my feelings!" Renka all but shouted.

Natsu sweatdropped at this before turning away, "Let's talk about this later. We have a fight to finish."

"Hmph, you bet we will!" huffed Renka as she got up, "You owe me and Kaede an explanation!"

"Kill him! I got word that his master is the one responsible for leaking information to our enemy!" shouted a Kuremisago ninja as he charged towards Natsu, passing by Sho.

It was at this moment, Sho made a decision.

"Fuck this shit, my master would agree with me!" grinned Sho as he grabbed the ninja and kneed him in the stomach.

"Kano Sho!" shouted all Kuremisago members, shocked at Sho's blatant treason.

"Sorry, but I'm joining them!" grinned Sho, "My master is going to be pissed at me, and if I'm completely wrong about his feelings about this, then I'll be dead. But he's always told me to believe in myself, and I believe he would be ashamed of me if I let this continue!"

With this, the tides were changing.

Hope you guys enjoyed this. I'm planning to either finish it up all at once for the next chapter or maybe stop it at ch 42, with an epilogue included... Who knows. Though I might push this story rotation a little further so I have more time to think about how to write these fighting sequences.