It's official. I'm feeling like shit right now 'cuz of a sticky patch from my fave footballing team. Three matches which we could have chances to win, we fucking threw it away. The last two were a gross case of poor mental strength to recover while the latest home match was just pure bs. Therefore, I'm all pumped up to do a new chapter of Bushin Kaiden. With that being said tho, due to that shit retcon on Zeku by Capcom, I've decided to scrap my plans for his POV story. Meaning I'll have to rearrange my plans again albeit I'm starting to have some concept on what to do. Pls enjoy guys.
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Bushin Kaiden
Bushin no Otoko: Chapter 5 - That Defining Moment
"The one to inherit the will of Bushin. It is of an utmost importance to find the chosen one. You've failed once before. Hopefully this time round you'll be successful" said an elderly man in traditional Japanese clothing.
"I'm truly sorry, Genryusai-sama. I never expected the child to commit that henious crime of mauling his opponent even when it was just a sparring duel," answered a middle aged man dressed in green ninja garb with the kanji characters for Bushin emblazoned on the right side of his shirt.
"You don't have to apologize to me, Zeku," commenetd Genryusai, "You have your reasons for taking in that child. Why things have gone beyond control isn't your fault. Hopefully he will find the right path with the Ninpou clan. However, you should know that he can never return to the Ninjutsu clan ever again. That's the best I can do for him and you."
"Thank you very much, Genryusai-sama. I will remember this debt forever," With those words, Zeku got up and left.
Genryusai sighed as he saw the departing view of his best friend despite their age gap.
Zeku... you've shouldered so much as the thirty eighth master of Bushinryu Ninjutsu just like the rest before you. The unavoidable fate of death under one's chosen disciple as a master. Such is the tragedy of the Ninjutsu clan. You've done the same thing out of necessity, now all I can do is to look on from one side.
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As Zeku walked out of Genryusai's sight, he felt a sudden pain in the chest. Then he suddenly started a coughing fit that caused him to vomit blood. He knew that he couldn't delay any longer. Time was playing against him and by hook or by crook, he has to find the one person truly capable reviving Bushinryu for the sake of fighting that very inhumane anomaly as predicted by Genryusai. Kirin has failed due to the sparring farce that nearly killed Ryu, who incidentally wasn't a part of Bushinryu, but rather a student of an old friend. Now he could only hope that this time round, his choice in choosing that one person to unify the Ninpou and Ninjutsu clans would be the right call.
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"So is there any strange movements from Guy?" asked Keigo as he faced his henchman.
"Nothing yet Oyabun," replied the underling, "It seems that he's gone on with his life as if nothing has happened. By the way Keigo-sama, forgive me for being rude, but is it actually worth the trouble in keeping an eye on him? For all we know, Guy could have accepted the fact before him."
"It's possible, but i can't afford to take any risk. He's my prized asset in the fight club and I don't intend things to change. Not if I can help it. Continue to keep an eye on him until my further orders."
"Yes Oyabun."
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"So many young ones with potential, but yet without promise," sighed Zeku as he wandered around aimlessly in a certain city in Kanagawa, "This is going nowhere here. Maybe I can get a clue from any fellow fighter. I heard that there's a relatively famous Kobujutsu in the downtown area. Guess I should try my luck there."
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"Keep up the spirit! Don't ever dare to think of slacking off!" shouted a burly middle aged man as his disciples were undergoing a session of sparring training.
"Kaidohryu Kobujutsu. Indeed it has been pretty much a famous name starting from the Meiji era."
The burly man looked at the direction of the speaker only to find a middle aged ninja clad in green. His eyes narrowed as he managed to conclude the meaning of his presence even though he guess would be wrong.
"You came here to take our dojo's signboard? How daring..." commented the teacher.
"You're wrong. It's against the teachings of Bushinryu to hanker after wealth and fame. Period," commented Zeku. Upon his words, the entire dojo erupted into laughter.
"Bushinryu you say?" laughed one of the students, "Don't try to fool us with fake bravado. Other people might talk about that art highly, but it's all lies. Anybody with a decent knowledge of history knows that it's nothing more than a sham. It might have been a force to reckon with in the past, but it's nothing more than bullshit once Meiji kicked into gear!"
Zeku's eyes narrowed as he took in their reaction with a calm mind. Then he readied his fighting stance, which is a clear message as a challenge. The entire dojo tensed up and prepared themselves for the fight. Then without warning, a couple of them charged towards him. With a single movement, Zeku hit them both in the vital areas and put them out of action. Then upon the disbelief of the rest, Zeku shadow-warped past them with extreme ease.
"Hiei Hayagake!"
Within a blink of an eye, Zeku reached unto the centre of the mob, after which he took advantage of the confusion to lay down the beating. The burly man's eyes widened as his students were systematically taken care of wthin just a few moments. Upon witnessing the power of Bushinryu, he quaked in fear as he tried to regain his calm. Then before he could do anything, an elderly man appeared behind him.
"Shihan!" gasped the burly man.
"Stand back you fool. You're no match for him!" boomed the robust old man.
"So that man is a Shihan-dai. Doesn't matter with me. All I want is some info. Unfortunately, you disciples chose to play punk with me." commented Zeku in a neutral tone.
"That style of yours... is it truly Bushinryu?" asked the old man with a skeptical tone.
"What do you think then? The fact that Bushinryu has fallen doesn't mean that it has lost it's original meaning..."
"Interesting..." grinned the old man, "I've always failed to understand why there are people who praise Bushinryu even after it's laughable decline from Meiji onwards. Perhaps you can amuse me..."
"You are a fool to laugh at the art of Bushin. Not all is what they seems. Within every existence lies a relevant worth. I'll teach you what does this truth means."
"Enough of talk! Let's see who is the better, Kaidohryu or Bushinryu!" exclaimed the elderly master as the ground beneath him shook with the impact of his ki. If there was any feelings of awe within Zeku, he never made it known as he readied his stance.
A brief silence then ensued. Then upon a sudden gust of wind, both combatants charged at each other. Zeku attempted a Hiei Hayagake to blindside his opponent, However he managed to predict the movement due to a simple calculation of the possible position and witnessing the move on his disciples before. With a simple elblow strike, Zeku was imstantly forced on the defensive as his opponent began to rain blows upon him. He instantly knew what the other party was planning. In the art of fighting, mindless attacks wouldn't be able to force an opening. He knew very well what the old man was trying to do. Executing a systematic pattern of high, medium and low attacks could only mean one thing. Confusing him and thus, forcing him into a mistake.
The old man was quite obviously starting to lose his patience as time went by though. If there's anything he failed to realize prior to the fight, it would be the fact that all the while, the Bushin art of fighting has always been focused to deal with multiple enemies in one single go. It was then that Zeku spotted an opening. With a single punch, he hit home the exact targeted spot. However the old man could only smile as Zeku discovered the ploy way too late. His opponent was a practitioner of the Taijutsu way of fighting. Meaning he was able to use his ki to reinforce any part of his body. Although damage would be dealt under this condition, it's effect will be minimized to a certain extent. Zeku realized this too late as his adversary took advantage of the one instance of opening from the hit.
With a single palm blow, Zeku was hit on the chest forcing him back. It was then that the elderly man began to rain attacks on him. This time round due to the shock of the initial attack, Zeku was unable to ward off every blow. With every brutal hit, he was forced on the back foot until a single roundhouse kick landed on his temple and sent him flying straight onto the wall, the impact being heighten as contact was made.
"Ha! In the end, is this Bushinryu? What a joke. I should have realized it earlier when history has dictated that the Meiji government started persecuting the users of every Ninjutsu art!" boasted the old man haughtily, "Kaidohryu is peerless. Know this fact upon your defeat weakling!"
However, he was in for a major shock as Zeku slowly got up. His eyes went wide as he realized the truth. His opponent wasn't being serious in fighting all the while. Zeku only gave out a long sigh as he looked at his adversary in the eyes, his dark orbs betraying no emotions. As he neared towards him, the old man could feel an aura of oppression in his opponent. The feeling was suffocating to say the least, but yet he couldn't feel any killer aura. In fact there was no tyranny aura as well. The fighter's aura he felt was nothing more than a feeling of void, but yet it unnerved him to no end. It was then that he realized what kind of monster was he fighting against with. Zeku also seemed to understand what his counterpart was thinking as he gave the one answer the other party has been dreading all the while.
"All is emptiness... behold the Mu no Ken..."
Then he performed another Hiei Hayagake. This time round though, he never attempt any blindside. Instead it was a follow-up leg sweep attack.
"Hiei Hayagake Kaiten Ashi!"
The resultant attack juggled the opponent upwards as Zeku did a mid air stomp kick straight onto the chest area.
"Bushin Ryuseiha!"
The impact of the attack knocked the wind out of the old man as he attempted a recovery reaction via rolling away from his opponent upon impact. But it was far from over as Zeku closed in and pulled off a rising spinning kick.
"Bushin Senpuukyaku!"
The opponent was unable to block the attack as he got hit multiple times in the air. Then as Zeku landed first. He charged up his ki to reinforced his right fist to the maximum.
"Arakiba!"
With a single punch, the old man sent flying backwards, the impact forcing him to cough up blood. However, the anger in him made a recovery possible. Alas that was all Zeku needed to nail the final blow. Charging his ki within his limbs, Zeku performed that one move that would seal his victory.
"Bushin Hassouken!"
With a series of ground-to-air punches, the move was finally ended with a mid air slam that caused the ground to tremor with the impact. His defeated foe however was still conscious as it wasn't Zeku's intention to knock him out. He still need certain information from his foe. The vanquished party however was still in a state of mental shock as he tried to recollect his wits.
"No it's impossible... the art of Taijutsu... it's very nature... Mu no Ken... how can it be possible?" muttered the old man.
"You're a fool to underestimate the thirty eighth master of the Ninjutsu clan," replied Zeku with a calm tone, "While it's true that Bushinryu has fallen after the turmoil of Bakumatsu, there still remains a remnant of individuals still holding true to it's roots of fighting. The combat aspect may have been lost, but still within the Ninjutsu clan, the technique and power required to fight is still pretty much alive. Let this be known fool: Bushinryu's combat has never been against human foes but rather those who had gone beyond the boundaries of their own humanity utterly. With this determination, no mere mortal is able to crush the traditions of Bushinryu! The Mu no Ken that you've witnessed... it is the result of my training for this very purpose. A state that is not exclusive to any fighting style, but yet can only be attainable by a chosen few. This is the truth of your defeat!"
"So I see. Bushinryu has always been alive after all," commented the fallen warrior as he started to accept the reality before him, "Take my live. If that's what you truly desire..."
"I have never wanted to kill anybody right from the start. All I need to know is any rumours of anyone gifted in the potential of being a fighter. Being such an established school at this current era, you should know better than me on the information of what I truly want."
"One kid in the Thirteenth District of Shinjuku," commented the Shihan-dai, "I'm not too sure if the rumours are true, but word has gotten out that he's able to best fighters bigger and more experienced than him just via whatever he has learnt in the process of fighting."
"And what is this lad's name then?" asked Zeku with a strong interest.
"I don't know to be honest. I think it's actually something that only the locals are familiar with..."
Interesting then... if there's no falsehood behind these words... the revival of Bushinryu will be at hand... all for the sake of the unavoidable battle against the encroaching evil...
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Wow I've finally finished the shizzle here. Some of you guys might find it weird on why I've changed the POV out of nowhere. Refer to my starting A/N on the Zeku retcon. Since I'm gonna scrap his POV story, I guess it's only right to show up this up via Guy's story since you all know that Guy and Zeku's fate are bound together so as to say. On a sidenote, Hiei Hayagake was that shadow warping skill he did in Guy's canon Zero 2 ending. I'm not gonna do his movelist though since there's no point doing it for a character that won't have his own POV in this story. Read: the vital factor has been nerfed due to Capcom's dastardly retcon. And lastly, the Mu no Ken isn't something that I pulled out of my ass. It's actually the Power of Nothingness that Gouken had mastered as was shown in his SF4 ending English dub. In the original Japanese version, Ryu actually called it Mu no Ken, which is translated loosely as the Fist of Emptiness.