For awhile they walked silently threw the woods side by side never exchanging more then an awkward glance at each other both lost in their own thoughts about what had happened. Finally Inu no Taisho came to a stop at a lake in the middle of no where they had traveled all night and it was now very early morning they had walked much further then Sagara had ever been aloud.
" why are we stopping?" Sagara questioned.
" I am going to teach you how to fight." Inu no Taisho spoke sternly.
" but why? I can already fight." Sagara questioned his motives.
" you are good, but you can be much better and for what you are going to be doing you will need to get better." Inu no Taisho answered.
" well what am I going to be doing?" Sagara questioned.
" your going to join a special group and hunt down Byakuya Kurisuchi." Inu no Taisho answered apparently growing tired of the questions.
" ok." Sagara agreed looking determined, this slightly surprised Inu no Taisho for a moment before he smiled to himself.
" draw your sword." Inu no Taisho commanded. The two instantly began fighting they went on for hours at a time before resting it was a relentless training schedule for three months they stood at this lake they would wake up find food for the day build a small fire and fight they would fight and fight until Sagara was exhausted and couldn't take anymore. Then they would start over again in the morning. One morning was different though, Sagara woke up to find that Inu no Taisho had already gathered food for the day and was standing on the lake looking at something.
" sir? Are we going to train today?" Sagara asked curiously.
" your skills with a sword are unrivaled." Inu no Taisho spoke.
" then we can continue to your home?" Sagara questioned.
" today we will train but not with our swords we will use our energy." Inu no Taisho looked up to gauge the child's reaction.
" ok." Sagara sounded excited.
" this doesn't confuse you?" Inu no Taisho asked himself now curious.
" well a bit but I've been able to sense it all along I've noticed the longer we've been here the more of your energy you have to use each time we fight, I can sense your energy and I can sense my own, I can feel when you use yours in battle how you focus it to your blade and increase your strength I've been studying it for a few weeks now." Sagara replied as though that was what was expected of him.
" well then that makes this a lot easier, I can walk on water because I can focus my energy at a steady rate to my feet or to any part of my body do you understand?" Inu no Taisho attempted to explain.
" sort of I can feel all my energy and I can feel the power swelling up inside me when I fight I just haven't been able to focus it anywhere." Sagara explained looking down.
" that's not uncommon most people don't even know this power exists inside them." Inu no Taisho replied.
" well there is one thing I can do, but my mother told me I shouldn't." Sagara explained.
" show me." Inu no Taisho commanded intrigued. Sagara looked down at his hand and seemed to be focusing very hard when suddenly a bolt of lightning flashed across his hand. Inu no Taisho watched in amazement. Then a second bolt of lightning then a third they became more frequent until finally a small ball of lightning began forming in the palm of the little boys hand. That was when he heard it, a sound that had not plagued his ears in over twelve years. As though a thousand birds chirped in union. When he felt satisfied Sagara looked up to Inu no Taisho holding his chirping ball of lightning. Inu no Taisho was almost speechless. " hit that tree with it." he commanded. Sagara looked confused. " just do it." Inu no Taisho ordered. The confused boy turned to the closest tree and ran at it holding out the ball of energy in his palm he slammed it into the tree. The tree split in half as though a bolt of lightning struck it burning away the smaller limbs. This surprised Sagara.
" that is exactly what I was talking about, your energy just takes the form of lightning." Inu no Taisho explained. " there is many ways to use it that is probably the simplest one."
" oh I get it." Sagara exclaimed finally understanding how to focus his power. " I have one more question." he stated looking at Inu no Taisho curiously.
" what is that?" Inu no Taisho replied.
" why do I have so much more energy inside me then you do?" Sagara questioned throwing Inu no Taisho completely off guard.
" that's a bold statement little boy." he answered annoyed.
" I didn't mean to offend you sir.. I just mean I can sense more in me then I can in you." Sagara attempted to fix his mistake unsure of what exactly he had said wrong.
" your a strong boy with a lot of potential you have much more power then you know of." Inu no Taisho answered. " now take your sword and do just as you did in your hand except channel all of your power into the sword instead, as though it was an extension of yourself." Inu no Taisho commanded. " and don't stop until you have cut that mountain in half."
Sagara stared at the large mountain. " ill do my best." he laughed and scratched his head not really believing that it could be done. After a few hours of trying Sagara had begun to get the hang of it he was able to cut down five trees with a single swing of his sword.
( to think an attack so powerful as the lightning blade to come so easy to this child, then again he is the son of Hatake.) Inu no Taisho watched as the young boy trained. One more month went by of continues training, until Sagara was able to split mountains with one swing of his sword. Inu no Taisho watched everyday as his power grew rapidly with no signs of slowing down as though there was no limits. Again Sagara awoke to find Inu no Taisho already up except this time the entire camp was gone the only signs left that they had been here was the destroyed forest and piles of rubble that surrounded them.
" today we will leave." Inu no Taisho spoke without looking at the boy.
" so now were going to find Byakuya?" Sagara questioned with determination.
" no, your not ready for that yet." Inu no Taisho replied.
" what do you mean! Then what was all this for!" Sagara screamed slamming his fist into a tree instantly ripping it out of the ground and carving a path threw the remaining forest.
" your strong but there are things you must do before meeting Byakuya he is one of the most powerful fighters in the world and it will not be an easy task to find him." Inu no Taisho spoke calmly.
" I will kill him." Sagara spoke in a dreadful tone.
" Sagara come with me and I will help you find the man your looking for." Inu no Taisho ordered.
" I will find him on my own i'm done with you wasting my time old man." Sagara turned his back on Inu no Taisho.
" as you wish when you fail come find me you should be able to sense me." Inu no Taisho spoke confidently.
" I wont fail." Sagara answered.
" your fathers name it was Hatake you will do wise to keep who you are a secret your father is a legend." Inu no Taisho spoke before jumping into the air and taking off.
" Hatake." Sagara whispered to himself before taking off his own way. He searched with all his might for the strongest energy he could sense and followed it continuously he found himself in small villages with no information to whom he was looking for. Most people stared and pointed fingers at him as he walked threw no one dared talk to him and when he did try to get information it wasn't so easily given up. Finally he came to a small village full of powerful energies but he couldn't locate where exactly they were coming from it seemed as though the power was everywhere Sagara walked slowly threw the village noting everyone who stared and pointed to him as he passed. As he walked towards the local tavern he barley noticed the shadow cross over the roof top. He stopped in his place and thought for a second, before walking out of the village to a small hill that overlooked the entire village. It had now been just over two years since he had parted ways with Inu no Taisho and he had accomplished nothing. He had just turned fifteen but time had no bearing on him he had one purpose in life and that was to kill this one man no matter what the cost he was an avenger and this man must die.
He sat at the top of the hill and waited for night to fall to watch the events he was certain would unfold. As night took over the sky he saw them, seven shadows moving almost to fast to be seen they landed on one building and were gone in a flash. As was Sagara.
A very young Sesshomaru hidden behind a black mask along with six other masked fighters broke down the door to what was supposed to be a very secret meeting of the Tokugawa to pass along vital information. There were fifteen men gathered around a long table with looks of awe on their faces as their meeting was interrupted.
" no one move and I wont have to kill any of you." Sesshomaru spoke sharply as he approached the table. " I simply need some information."
" I however will kill all of you if you cant tell me what I want to know." Sagara spoke up as he turned the corner around the doorway to enter the room.
" who the hell.." Sesshomaru turned around surprised as were his followers who quickly jumped and surrounded the table to ensure that no one escaped.
" my name is Hatake of the lightning, and you will tell me what I want to know." Sagara spoke sternly as he raised his head to reveal his swirling orange eyes. " where can I find Byakuya leader of the Tokugawa." this earned the fifteen men gathered in the room to erupt with laughter.
" you Hatake god of lightning this is laughable you men should leave before we have to hurt you." the man at the head of the table spoke up. Sagara chuckled along with the man for a brief second. Before with one swing of his sword he sent a bolt of lightning thrashing across the room killing seven men in one swing causing Sesshomaru's men to quickly jump out of the way, this one attack demolished half the building along with the majority of the village that resided in that direction the entire village was quickly set a blaze in a chain reaction from one swing of his sword.
" I will not ask you again." Sagara spoke in a threatening tone. As everyone stared at him in terror Sesshomaru was left speechless at this display of power it was unlike anything he had ever seen. Everyman in the room ran for their lives without uttering a word including Sesshomaru's men, only Sesshomaru himself stood staring at this monster terror filling his eyes and thoughts in a flash before Sesshomaru could blink Hatake was gone and screams could be heard echoing for miles as all but the one man who sat at the head of the table were cut down in an instant no slower then a flash of lightning. All that remained was Sesshomaru Sagara and this one man backed into a corner of a flaming building as Sagara stood over him with threatening eyes. " tell me where I can find the man i'm looking for." he spoke the man just trembled speechless as he looked Sagara up and down. Sagara growing impatient again flexed his power as he sent another wave of electricity crashing across the already burning village. Sesshomaru watched the destruction innocent lives destroyed hundreds murdered without even trying families burned alive for what.
" you truly are Hatake of the lightning your a monster, the man your looking for he will be in Kyoto in one months time he plans to completely overthrow the entire Meiji government starting by taking over Kyoto there will be a blood bath." the trembling man spat at Sagara as he closed his eyes and waited for the finishing blow, but it never came.
" look at me." Sagara commanded. The man opened his eyes and looked up expecting to see his final moments instead he met Sagara's orange swirling eyes filled with hate and pain instantly the man began screaming and grasping at his head begging for Sagara to make it stop but instead Sagara stood there and watched with an emotionless expression. The man quickly attempted to rip out his own eyes in an attempt to make whatever was going on inside his head stop Sesshomaru watched in horror at the effect of one glance from Hatake. The man drew his own sword and stabbed himself in the heart as the two remaining men watched. Then Sagara turned to Sesshomaru.
" your the son of Inu no Taisho." Sagara stated sure of his words.
" how did you know?" Sesshomaru questioned pulling his mask off to reveal himself.
" your energy is very similar." Sagara answered him.
" then your definitely the one. My father wishes me to bring you to him." Sesshomaru informed Sagara.
" and how do you plan to do that your whole team is dead." Sagara questioned.
" he told me you would be eager to follow me back to him once I ran into you." Sesshomaru spoke quietly as he looked around to see his fallen comrades soaked in blood.
" I will follow you back to Inu no Taisho, and i'm sorry about your friends but they were in the way." Sagara stated as though they weren't even people.
" don't worry about it." Sesshomaru spoke coldly taking one last look at his comrades before jumping out of the building and running toward his fathers castle with Sagara following closely.