While waiting for the jet that would take them to Japan, Stalker found Snake Eyes in the hangar, sharpening his katana. "So bringing out the sword again? You've been going solely Commando since the Red Ninja Clan. Are you ready to play Ninja again, or should I ask, is your mind ready?"
Snake Eyes paused from his sharpening to look up at his friend. He had been avoiding using his Ninja training for fear that it would somehow trigger any lingering effects of the mind control. That maybe he would lose control. But he had no choice. To defeat the Red Ninja Clan once and for all and get Scarlett back, he would need to rely on his Ninja abilities. He told Stalker as much. He just hoped Stalker didn't see the slight shake of his hands as he returned to his sharpening. He had never felt unsure about his Ninja abilities. He has always been able to rely on them to calm him, center him. Now that very training is making him slightly nervous. Fuck. I will show Sei Tin no mercy.
I have already contacted Stormshadow. He signed to Stalker. He will be able to back me up in case… I am.… unable to complete the task. He didn't want to tell Stalker of his fear of losing control. Maybe he'll have time to go through some katas. It had been a while.
Stalker knows his friend well enough to perceive when Snake Eyes wasn't telling him everything, but he and Snake Eyes have been through hell and back together and he would stand by his friend.
…
The jet dropped them outside a small village in one of the Northern Prefectures of Japan. It was a mountain village surrounded by three rivers. The path to their rendezvous point with Stormshadow led them through mountain meadows surrounded by Cherry Blossom trees. The beauty and delicacy of the flowers provided a stark contrast to their dangerous and possibly violent mission. Upon reaching the rivers, they heard a light rustle of the trees right before Stormshadow dropped lightly to the ground in front of them.
"The Sakura (Cherry Blossom trees) are in full bloom," Stormshadow remarked. "It is unfortunate the circumstances. But many believe that the Sakura are an omen of good fortune. Perhaps they will bring us luck for the task that lies ahead."
Snake Eyes also knew that some believed the Cherry Blossoms symbolized the fleeting nature of life. He hoped that the good fortune belief would be the one to guide their mission. Stormshadow filled them in on Sei Tin's escape. He affirmed what Colton had said, that he was ambushed by two of Sei Tin's Ninjas, who seemed to be in a Ninja fighting trance, similar to the Arashikage mindset. Still recovering from the sword injury he received from Snake Eyes, he realized it would be wiser to wait for backup to recover Sei Tin. He also explained, before the ambush, he had been able to seek out some practitioners of the ancient Ninjutsu and Shogun techniques to find a way to restore J'Bang to his own body. But had not yet found a way to reverse the process. Stormshadow told them he could not figure out how Sei Tin learned of these techniques or if he even knew how to reverse them. Snake Eyes was worried as he thought of Scarlett. Did Sei Tin do anything to her using the ancient techniques?