Chapter 23: End of an Era
Shoryu awoke. After being blanketed in darkness for so long the white light of the room blinded him momentarily as his eyes adjusted to the new environment. He was in a hospital; the walls, ceiling and floor were a shade of pearl that he initially suspected might have been the afterlife. He lay in a springy, comfortable bed held up by four metal stilts, still in the same clothes he'd donned previously.
Bleached walls aside, the room was largely bare. A door could be found in the corner, and beside it a single green chair populated a sleeping girl. Ayako slept peacefully, her head tilted to one side with her hand supporting her chin; she'd probably been sat there waiting for hours, but how many? Shoryu sighed and let his head sink further into his pillow.
"I didn't really pass did I?" he asked aloud. "It was a dream wasn't it?"
"No."
The voice sounded from his right, attracting his attention to another feature of the room he'd overlooked. It wasn't Ayako who'd spoken – she failed to wake after Shoryu's call – the voice was male. Beside him Kazuya rested in another bed, staring up at the ceiling with that strange expressionless look of his. Even Shoryu couldn't tell what went through the mind of the samurai, though he liked to think it was happiness.
"Damn it," said Shoryu, "you took way more damage than me and you're still the first one up. How long have you been awake?"
"Just a few minutes, how's your hand?"
Pain was a subjective experience as Shoryu knew. He'd forgotten all about the wound he'd sustained and felt nothing from it since his rise, but the moment Kazuya mentioned it he remembered; it began to throb in agony almost immediately. He withdrew his hand from the sheets to see that it was bandaged up, and then quickly unravelled it to inspect the damage.
Whoever had tended to his hand was talented, that was for sure. He retained full mobility of it and all the nerve-ends and tendons had been totally repaired. Practically it was the same as ever, but aesthetically it was a mess.
Jagged, thin scars glowing red with recent closure worked their way across his left palm in a cross-hatching pattern like intersecting railroads. It looked like a stuffed animal that had been stitched up, patchwork and sewed off-colour to the rest of his hand. He knew it would look better in time, but he'd still carry it for the rest of his life. Funnily enough though, he didn't seem to mind too much.
"Well, put it this way," he answered at last. "I'm not going to any palm readers any time soon. Hey Ayako!"
The girl shuddered awake in her seat, quickly correcting her sloppy posture and looking to attention.
"What's my future?" Shoryu grinned and displayed the wounded mess of his left hand.
Ayako smiled vaguely and shook off the drowsiness. "That was lame. Why can't you take anything seriously? I'd be mortified if I had to live with that."
"It's not my style." Shoryu looked back to his hand and appeared taken aback, offended by the girl's remark. "And I thought that was rather clever!"
"You've had better," she said. Ayako then got to her feet and limped over to the space between the two beds, leaning up against the wall. They'd all taken wounds from these Chunin Exams – serious ones whose scars would serve as a constant reminder to their conquest here. Kazuya's stretched across his gut like an appendectomy mark, and it churned uncomfortably when he finally decided to get up.
"I'm checking out," Shoryu announced. He threw back the sheets and slid out of bed as Ayako made a feeble grab for him that he deftly evaded.
"No! You're supposed to stay in the hospital for at least another day!" she protested.
Kazuya followed; he got to his feet with a stifled groan of effort and drew himself back up to full height, retrieving his sword from his bedside. "Me too."
"Not you too! You're meant to be here for another week!"
Shoryu slid into his jacket and re-buckled his own swords to his belt and back. With a knowing look to Kazuya the two set off at a quickened pace towards and out of the door, leaving their teammate furiously hopping after them at speeds that aggravated her leg.
"You're such idiots!" she cursed as she hobbled along behind.
Shoryu chuckled and slowed down for her. "Sitting still for that long doesn't suit me – we should be out celebrating our victory, right Kazuya?"
"Right."
"Which reminds me!" The boy suddenly stopped in his tracks as an evil smirk spread across his lips. He grinned mockingly at Kazuya, as if he knew some kind of huge secret that could compromise his very existence. Ayako looked between the two of them with a look of confusion until Shoryu decided to continue.
"When you beat Norio – you attacked him from behind! Now that's not very samurai of you is it?"
Ayako remembered with a start and quickly joined Shoryu in giggling quietly to herself. He was right, Kazuya had totally forsaken his personal code; just as Shoryu predicted he was adhering more and more to the ways of the ninja with every day he spent in their company. In truth he didn't regret it – Norio would've cut Shoryu down for sure if he hadn't acted, but it still bothered him.
The samurai put a palm to his head and exhaled wearily. "I hoped you'd forgotten about that," he confessed.
"Attacking an opponent's blind spot is a crucial part of being a shinobi!" announced Shoryu. He slapped his partner on the back in encouragement.
"Shut it Shoryu," Kazuya warned, his patience running thin. His voice was low and his were fists clenched, like a growling dog who didn't want to be disturbed.
Shoryu gulped and gave a nervous laugh. "Okay."
With fire in his hands the Tenth Raikage blasted a surge of heat down towards his former subordinate, as he still dangled with one hand from the reconstructed bridge where they'd began their duel. Before the tongues of flame could reach their mark Reizo forced himself back into action. The Jonin swung himself underneath the bridge in a single push and flipped gracefully so that the soles of his feet met the underside.
He stood upside down; at the lip of the bridge a great blast of fire licked at the air, and below him a great pool of water remained to catch him. Was it deep enough though? If he fell from this height would he die? He didn't want to think about it; after all it would be a last resort, for if he got his body wet then his Daimyo Raikyogan – the most effective weapon in his arsenal – would cease to work.
Reizo cracked his fingers before intertwining them for a few simple hand signs. It was a low ranking jutsu – hardly the kind suitable for fighting a Kage, but at least it would buy him some time until he could think of a better approach. He finished his array and quickly slapped his hands to the ground (or ceiling, depending on perspective) at his feet.
"Earth Style: Stone Impact Jutsu!"
He heard the flooring above him crack and shudder as the earth he manipulated formed great fists that rose in sweeping uppercuts on the bridge above. He created five in total, and he knew not whether any of them hit their target. He'd found himself playing reverse whack-a-mole, blind to Kira's actions. He waited in deathly silence for a few tense moments before his answer came. Unfortunately it was hardly one he'd hoped for.
A whirlpool began to form at the body of water below him, swirling to life with a disgusting sucking noise life a drain pipe being unclogged. It grew in size and began to stir even the wind with its ever-building intensity; before long the aquatic cyclone raged with a ten metre diameter. Reizo still clung to the belly of the bridge as his jet black ponytail began to move with the currents of the powerful tide before his very eyes.
He'd heard of this technique before, yet none had seen it for at least thirty years. Along with one other, it had been the jutsu Kira used to secure his position as the Tenth Raikage after the people had witnessed its awesome power. Since he never used it anymore people figured he could no longer pull it off, that his muscles and chakra had degenerated to the point where he could no longer hold something like it together. They might've been right too – if the bastard possessing him wasn't allowing the old Raikage to surpass his physical limits.
Once fully formed the whirlpool gave out a great roar; it twisted as it did so and warped at its nebula to give it the impression of a crying mouth howling in pain. At least, that was the image Reizo saw before the pool condensed itself into a single shape, one that writhed and slithered out of the central wormhole and shrieked itself into existence.
"Water Style: Serpent Tsunami Aquas!"
Reizo didn't know what made the jutsu create that awful sound, and he wasn't sure he even wanted to know the science behind it. All the young Jonin knew was that out of the sinkhole of Kira's whirlpool a giant snake emerged. With a body comprised entirely of water the serpent was easily as thick as the bridge itself, and its terrifying, fifty-metre length meant that it could stretch itself right up there.
It lunged for Reizo, solidified fangs dripping and hollowed-out eyes spinning like tiny whirlpools of their own as its rapid movement left gallons upon gallons of water behind it. Cursing, Reizo fell into the first sequence of hand signs that came to mind. Never mind getting wet, if he was hit dead-on by that thing he'd die almost instantly. The Jonin took under a second to prepare his jutsu; again he struck the ground with a fist.
"Earth Style: Quake Jutsu!"
Immediately the bridge at his feet collapsed. Cracks spread across the underside like thunder before it gave way to giant chunks of wayward rocks and supporting columns that tumbled down toward the whirlpool. The jutsu was so sudden that a few layers of concrete suddenly came between the serpent's lunge and Reizo's fall. It snapped impatiently at the falling debris before rearing back and catching its master. There was the opportunity Reizo needed.
When snake moved to save Kira, the Jonin worked his way into another sequence of hand signs, plummeting towards the water. When he came within ten feet Reizo slapped his hands together in one final motion of focused chakra.
"Earth Style:" he began again. "Rock Dome Jutsu!"
Months ago he'd used the same technique in the hopes of saving the three youngsters of Squad Thirteen; now he used it to save his own skin. Falling wreckage and fragments of plaster from the broken bridge magnetised to Reizo, forming a neat sphere around him and acting as a barrier to soften his fall, if only a little.
As Reizo's encasing ball hit the water he was slammed hard into the side of his jutsu, like a caged guinea pig flung across a room. For a moment he suspected he'd broken his shoulder, but there was little time to inspect his own health now. As painful as his impact had been it saved him from the deactivation of his Raikyogan; the ball was air-tight and prevented any of the outside water from getting in, meaning he could sustain his dojutsu a little longer.
As much as he had faith in his own jutsu though, Reizo couldn't help but feel his Rock Dome wouldn't survive long against the Tsunami Aquas. Dread went through his mind as his suspicions were confirmed by another snap of the basilisk's jaws hurtling his cosy little ball out of the river. He heard the exterior crack and noticed a spring of water leak into the hull, yet he held his ground until the moment arrived.
Once he re-entered the water the snake struck again. This time half of his sphere caved in with the force and they flew higher into the sky once again. With a burst of vigour Reizo disengaged the jutsu, allowing him to fall from his tremendous height and land to the water right as the snake finished off the jutsu from which he'd just escaped.
Using the water-walking technique Reizo ensured that the rest of his body remained dry – only the soles of his shoes would get wet if he kept out of the creature's way. Looking at it now though, the Jonin's previous thoughts of optimism turned to bleak hopelessness. The water snake was even more gigantic than he'd originally thought; from up above he'd simply looked down on it, but now that he was on a level playing field the mobile upstream of water positively towered over him, casting a shadow across the ruin of the broken bridge.
Standing on its head with his arms tightly crossed was Kira. Even from so low down Reizo could see the look of content on the face of the man he'd once considered Kage – he was enjoying this, or rather the man possessing him was. Reizo suspected that Kira's captor had just recently gotten into using these techniques; for so many years he'd kept up the illusion that the Raikage was a feeble old man, and so had experienced little or no opportunity to use his S-Ranked Jutsu.
Reizo wondered whether he could use that knowledge against him. Kira's jutsu weren't handed down to him or learned from any master, he'd created them. Supposedly his two most powerful techniques were the embodiment of his own chakra manifested into giant titans – this certainly constituted one of them. He looked around to see if anything else could be useful. On one side the body of the crumbled bridge looked as if it had seen better days, and on the other a sheer cliff led back up to ground level – aside from that the narrow river led on underneath the fallen bridge for as far as he could see.
"Come on Reizo!" the man shouted down. "You're not making this nearly as fun as you could be!"
Reizo snarled in annoyance as the great viper made another lunge for him. He darted out of the way before the torrent could envelop him, and soon the Jonin found himself running at his fastest speeds across the water. Waves splashed behind him and by his sides, flaying about with a crash that rumbled the surface every time the Tsunami Aquas made a snap at his heels.
When the serpent acted Reizo threw himself forwards or darted out of the way every time. Being too busy to look behind meant that he had to time his jumps in accordance with nothing more than his instinct. He zipped across the surface in a blur as the Daimyo Raikyogan got to work on enhancing his already-impressive speed. Even as he got faster and faster though, the snake snapped closer and closer to his heels with every lunge of its body. As long as he remained on the surface of the water there was no chance of Reizo outrunning it, for the jutsu was water itself.
"You can't run forever Reizo!"
As much as he hated to admit it Reizo knew that his foe was right. He'd reach a dead-end eventually and find himself face to face against that thing with nowhere to run, so he decided to do something with a risk level slightly out of his comfort zone. The ninja veered off to one side, narrowly missing the tide of the snake's next attack and flying towards the cliff. With a great breath he began to scale it, sending concentrated volumes of chakra to the soles of his feet and running vertically up the wall.
He'd gotten only a few steps up however when Tsunami Aquas struck again. It reared its ugly head and threw itself against the cliff face, bursting rocks from the surface with an aquatic explosion as Reizo dashed to safety. He shifted ten steps across the wall in a single bound, though the explosion still sent razor-sharp pebbles to scratch away at his exposed cheek and right arm.
Ignoring it, the Jonin pressed upwards. He made another five dodges away from the creature, escaping only by the skin of his teeth and never without at least five new scrapes to contrast against the glowing blue marks upon his forearms and palms. After what felt like an age he reached the top; he rolled over the crumbling lip of the cliff and leapt to safety when the next attack struck by his feet.
Now that he was back on flat ground and level with the snake-riding Kage, Reizo fell back into stance and allowed himself a moment to assess the situation. Kira backed off his jutsu momentarily – he hovered atop the serpent wearing a smug grin, laughing to himself all the while.
"You're holding out on me Reizo!" he deduced. "You must be – I heard you were far stronger than this!"
Reizo paused; he hadn't been holding back at all, he simply hadn't had time to execute his most powerful attacks when being constantly pressured like this. He'd only ever had time to run, but now was his chance to strike. He held out his left arm, crackling with electricity, before flinging a single spear of concentrated lightning towards his opponent.
"Lightning Javelin!"
He wasn't aiming for the Kage himself though – with Kira's distance he would've required the aim of someone more adept than even Shoryu to land a jutsu from that far. No, instead he aimed for the monolithic snake comprised entirely of water. With Kira standing atop it, he planned for the water to absorb his thunder and spread it along its entirety, shocking its master from the feet upwards.
For a moment he suspected it worked too. The electricity spread throughout the snake's entirety; it even looked in pain for a moment as it arched back, glowing with a darker shade of Reizo's bio-electric blue before the energy dissipated. Throughout it all though, Kira hadn't moved a muscle – he never even flinched. Reizo cursed; he must've had rubber soles or some chakra barrier by his feet to compensate for the snake's obvious weakness.
"You didn't seriously expect that to work did you?" mocked Kira.
"Worth a try," Reizo snapped.
"Apparently not."
"Come on, don't keep me in suspense." Reizo sheathed his weapon and formed the tiger sign – the starting seal for one of his most powerful techniques. "You're not going all out on me either. Everyone knows the Tsunami Aquas is only half of your real power. Why don't you do the courtesy of showing the rest to me? I'm dead anyway, right?"
The Raikage gave another great laugh that immediately brought back Reizo's feeling of unease. That gleam in his eye; the wickedness of his smile; they were somewhere they did not belong, plastered on the face of a weak yet harmless old man that he'd known since childhood. Reizo scolded his own ignorance. All this time he'd been in their midst and he never suspected him to be anything other than an elder with a chip on his shoulder. He'd deceived everyone – the Jonin, his council and his entire village.
After Kira had finished his sinister round of laughter he shrugged his shoulders, deciding to comply with the man's last request. He began forming hand signs at speeds even Reizo couldn't keep up with, and when fifty had been made he held the last one securely in place, focusing his chakra.
"Very well then. I shall grant your final wish, Reizo Kuroda. I'd pay close attention though – this will all be over in a few seconds."
Reizo smiled – at least he'd finally gotten his new name right. He too settled on his final hand sign, silently wondering whether it would be enough. "Bring it on."
"Fire Style: Phoenix Maelstrom Pyrus!" roared the Kage.
Reizo reciprocated. "Fire Style: White Blaze Ultima!"
Two attacks streaked into existence, and whilst both were gigantic in size and burning at volcanic temperatures, one was significantly larger and hotter.
Kira Asakura's flame phoenix the Maelstrom Pyrus was the second half of the pair of jutsu that had given him the rank of Kage. Whilst not quite as large as the Tsunami Aquas it was equally, if not more formidable than the serpent. Comprised entirely of fire it emitted a black, ashen smoke that plumed to the skies with every beat of its scorching wings. The creature quite literally threw a shadow over the cliff; it must've been easily forty metres in height and double that for its wingspan.
If nothing else Kira's prized pair of jutsu were forces to be reckoned with, if unnatural to say the least. The physical embodiment of his chakra protected him with fiery rage from above and watery despair from below. There were no safe entrances into his guard, and for as much as the beings protected him they did so much more for the Kage in terms of attack. The phoenix screeched a sharp, clear ringing as it opened up its wings and screamed a mouthful of crimson flame from its maw.
Reizo's jutsu rocketed away, heat from a furnace at least three times more potent than his usual 'White Blaze' attack. Like a cannon the tongues of purest white flame rose up in a unified blast, colliding with the breath of the Maelstrom Pyrus with a heat so intense that the cliff blackened instantly.
Squad Thirteen – or rather, the three ninja who comprised what used to be Squad Thirteen, quickly met up with the old Squad Five, and the six of them headed down to join the festivities and grab lunch. Following Shoryu and Kazuya's battle the previous day Yuudai had finally woken on the next morning. He looked whiter than usual, his wounds were still bandaged and his walk was almost as slow as the crippled Ayako's, yet he still tried his best to maintain his usual chirpy personality.
Wherever he went Shoryu couldn't help but notice the stares he got from people he'd never seen before in his life. Some boys at least five years older than him had patted him on the back and cheered as he passed, and an elderly couple had gave him some strange kind of respectable salute – at least Shoryu hoped it was respectable.
Today there was a match scheduled between two rival two-man teams from the Land of Earth, though Shoryu and the others agreed that they really didn't care for seeing it. He couldn't speak for the others, but Shoryu himself knew that he'd seen far too much high-tension action for his liking this fortnight. He needed a week or even just a few days away from any kind of strenuous activity and some time to absorb the events that had occurred. He still wandered around in a dream state, as expecting to wake up at any moment.
So the six of them found themselves a quiet spot in the competitors' canteen and grabbed dinner right as the match outside began, ensuring that everyone else would be out in the stands. With the place to themselves they lost themselves in conversation for at least an hour; Jinga firstly revealed that he himself had been one of the medical staff on board during Shoryu and Kazuya's respective treatments.
Yuudai recounted the crazy events of the last few days as he mocked their ridiculous nature, impersonated many proctors and gave constant shout-outs to Hoshi, Shoryu and Kazuya for their victory. Shoryu revelled in the praise and clinked glasses, cheering with the boy whenever this happened; Hoshi and Kazuya meanwhile simply sat back in modesty, though on each of them the workings of a vague smile could be seen.
When the samurai excused himself for second helpings Shoryu followed. He'd been curious for a while now about one thing in particular, but due to the subject's sensitive nature he'd been unable to ask with Squad Five still around. He approached the buffet and set down his food.
"So, about Suzume," he began. Shoryu helped himself to another slop of mashed potatoes as he went on, "What exactly did you find out?"
Kazuya didn't reply right away. Instead he finished loading up his plate and pushed it to one side; it was a rather large topic, so he'd need Shoryu's full attention if he was to understand it all. "She's my cousin," he revealed.
Shoryu's shock was such that he almost dropped his plate. "Your cousin? Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yes. She confirmed it herself." Kazuya then went on to explain about the dojutsu Suzume called the 'Jikogan', that only the pair of them and two other people alive in the world could use it, and that it had been somehow created by his grandfather, the first man who wielded it. Shoryu absorbed the information and nodded occasionally.
When he was finished the boy asked the obvious, "What about your father?"
"He's dead," said Kazuya flatly, "Killed eight years ago." It wasn't the fact of his father's death that shocked the samurai – he'd almost expected it. What got to him was the little piece of odd trivia that Suzume had offered. "But Shoryu, there's something else you should know. I don't know how or why, but for some reason Suzume implicated you in killing him."
"Me?" Shoryu scoffed, "Oh yeah! Of course! That makes perfect sense, because when your father died eight years ago I was five."
"I considered that too, you obviously didn't kill him, but the way she said it. . ." Kazuya paused suddenly, unsure of how to continue. "I wouldn't hold a grudge: I never knew either of them and I'm sure there would've been reasons, but do you think there's any way that your father could've been involved? It's the only thing I could think of that makes any sense."
Shoryu would've liked to humour his teammate, but even so he shook his head – the timing didn't add up. "That makes even less sense. My father was dead long before that. He was killed before I was born."
"I see. One more thing though – she knew something about the clone attacks. I don't know what or how, but she's involved in some way," said Kazuya.
"She actually admitted to that?" quizzed Shoryu. It seemed like a rather incriminating thing to tell him when surrounded by one hundred thousand people who would suffer from the attacks if they persisted.
"Not directly, no. But I could tell. She was evasive when I asked her about it."
"Did she have that mark?" Shoryu asked as he jerked his thumb to the violet symbol emblazoned on his jacket.
"Uchiha and Honami had it on their arms, right here." Kazuya motioned to the spot by his upper bicep. "She wore long sleeves; if she did have it then I couldn't see it."
The two discussed the matter briefly for another few minutes before being ushered back over to the table by their comrades. The celebrations continued as they ate their fill and moved on to plans for the future. Ayako's proposal was just as she'd outlined, to team up with Jinga and Yuudai to take on the exams again in six months' time once she was finally back on her feet.
With the three of them already knowing each other it would save the unnecessary hassle of building bridges and working out trust issues with new teammates, meaning they could spend more time honing their respective skills and thus have a better chance at winning.
Shoryu agreed that it was the best idea, though as they discussed future strategy he found his mind elsewhere. Kazuya had given him too much to think about; the situation surrounding the clones seemed to get harder and harder to understand with every little detail that was revealed about them. In spite of his dismissal he still couldn't help but wonder why Suzume had suggested that he – or indeed his father – had been responsible for the death of Michio Senmatsu.
Looking across the table he could see that Kazuya was just as puzzled and deep in thought as he was. As much as he tried to turn it off Shoryu's mind began to conjure up new theories, each one even more absurd and convoluted than the last one. He was about to move on to his tenth and most ridiculous one of all when the footsteps of heavy boots interrupted their conversation.
Saito Yukizawa marched in through one of the doors leading eastward down the corridors. He'd clearly just finished his routine as head judge for the previous match and had made his way down here to tie up some loose ends. With a plastic bag in hand he ignored the buffet and weaved through the mass of circular stools until he arrived at their table.
As a side-effect from his profession, even in real life he seemed to enjoy creating tension. The table ceased their chatter when he arrived, looming and tall as if about to attack. He never met Shoryu's eyes, and he took a full five seconds of silence to finally announce his intentions.
"I would like to wish the victors of yesterday's events congratulations," he said. "These jackets mark your status as Chunin."
The Zawa then fished around in his plastic bag before pulling out three sets of matching vest-jackets. As the standard issue for the Village Hidden in the Clouds they were white, stitched down side and cut off at the shoulders with black trim coating the edges. They weren't specifically required except on formal occasions, though Shoryu knew many Chunin and Jonin opted to wear them in combat anyway – to show off their status he imagined.
Saito handed one to Kazuya and one to Hoshi. He kept hold of the third as he finally forced himself to look Shoryu in the eye. The boy held his nerve as the man extended the gift, and he moved to accept it until Saito pulled it back.
"Of course, it is your choice whether you accept the rank of a Chunin or not," he pointed out.
"Why would he not want that rank?" asked Ayako, as hostile with the man as Kazuya was.
Saito gave a devilish smirk. "Why indeed. You see, a few hours ago the results of the Summit Conference came back. It isn't good news I'm afraid. It seems likely that war is upon us – surely you know that Chunin are the first sent out to the frontlines. No one would blame you for refusing such a trial."
"Hmm," pondered Shoryu. He took the vest and looked it over like a pretentious maiden sizing up a dress. Putting a hand to his chin he pouted in indecision. "I guess this jacket doesn't really suit me. . ."
For one cruel, devastating moment everyone present (save for Kazuya) actually believed that Shoryu was about to throw away all the hard work he'd strived to achieve. He was joking as usual, but that didn't stop the sudden scare – Saito looked positively elated until the boy carried on and crushed his hopes.
"But I think I'll keep it anyway. Thanks for the offer though!" With that, Shoryu turned back to his sandwich, leaving Saito fuming in rage after being tricked by such an obvious ruse.
"You. . ." he whispered, his voice hoarse. Shoryu had tried his patience more times than he'd cared to admit lately, but this was a stretch too far – the fact that the five other ninja erupted in laughter tipped Saito over the edge. "You insolent vermin! You'll die a dog's death in this war!"
"Really? How do you figure that?" Shoryu asked coolly. His voice feigned genuine interest, but he never turned back around.
"Because you're nothing - a worthless excuse for a ninja! You're not even good enough for our clan, so what makes you think you could represent our entire nation? You, the shame of the Zawa family – the pathetic little boy who couldn't even activate the Raik-"
"-And just like that, I appear to have stopped caring." Shoryu interrupted the Jonin before he could even finish his sentence. This resulted in another wave of laughter around the table, until Saito suddenly grabbed the boy by the scruff of his collar. He whirled Shoryu around and pinned him by his throat, holding him against the surface of the table and throttling him with a grip like a crab.
"Someone like you can't speak to me like that!" he roared. He squeezed harder and harder, but Shoryu's expression of placid ignorance never changed that much.
"Tell that to the crowd from yesterday's match," he managed to choke out. "You know, I just think you're bitter."
The noise that came from Saito was hardly even human. He growled lividly as his eyes flashed blue and the lightning bolts upon his palms flushed to life. Shoryu might've been smaller, younger and weaker, but the boy's tongue was both his biggest strength and his biggest flaw. He had an answer to everything – a counterargument to any point. What infuriated many was that normally he was right, and it tramped all over their ideals, getting them wound up enough to put him in situations like this one.
But unlike before, he had allies that would get him out of them.
A fist slammed into Saito's face right as his Raikyogan activated, hurling him across the floor and away from his captive. With his neck released and his breath back Shoryu turned around to see that Kazuya had come to his aid, glazing his fist over with a glove of solid ice before he'd made his devastating haymaker.
Dread filled the boy; did Kazuya understand what he was doing by attacking a ninja of superior rank? What would happen? Would he strip them of their titles? Did he have that authority? Unbeknownst to Shoryu though, Kazuya had a clever plan up his sleeve. He held firm as Saito wiped the blood away from his mouth and rose to his feet, looking angrier than ever before.
"What fool dares strike me? Do you know who I am?" he cried. "I'll have your head for this, boy."
"Forgive me, Saito Yukizawa, Jonin of the Cloud and head of the Zawa household, but I believe you are the one who does not know who I am. Your status may not even compare to my own." Kazuya began.
As this was going on, the remaining members of Squads Five sat back and gasped. After a few moments their wits returned however, and one by one they rose to their feet to join Kazuya's side in front of Shoryu. Given a few more moments Shoryu suspected that Ayako would've been the one to assault his oppressor - Kazuya had simply beaten her to the punch.
Saito continued on his rant, "Ha! Your status? My clan traces back hundreds of years; we are the most elite ninja that the Land of Lightning has to offer! We have supported and even provided numerous Kage, our numbers are without match – our origins trace back all the way to the time of the Kanzen Raikyogan – what can you do against the force of all this?"
"Listen closely ninja, for I will say this only once," lectured the boy. He was a thirteen year old speaking to the mid-fifties head of a rival clan as an equal, but in his mind it was justified. "I am Kazuya Takashi. I belong to the Village Hidden in the Glacier. Surely you've heard of Yamamoto Takashi, the legendary warrior – this is his sword." Kazuya unsheathed and brandished his weapon of choice. "So you see; yours is not the only clan of noble ancestry. Why am I in possession of this sword you ask? Simple: I am the next Taisho of the village."
Saito growled in irritancy – even in his state of blinded wrath he could see where this was going.
"In my village, people aren't judged on what they are or aren't born with. They are regarded for their feats in battle and their merits to the clan. That, in addition to the fact that he is my acquaintance, means that Shoryu Aizawa is a loyal and valuable ally to all the samurai of the Glacier."
Shoryu paused, confused. He wasn't any of that – he'd met the samurai only once and ended up unwittingly insulting them just to get a shot in at Kazuya. But the young future Taisho didn't stop there.
"The samurai of my village look forward to his every visit and hail all which he has done for them; they sing his name and toast to him over drinks and queue for entire streets just to have the honour of crossing swords in sparring with him. If even one of them learned that you tried to swindle Shoryu Aizawa out of his position – let alone threaten to harm him – then it wouldn't be the Fifth Shinobi World War that you'd have to worry about.
"No, Saito, it would be a war between the Zawa clan and the Takashi. You suppose that your heritage is impressive? That your numbers are staggering? Come then, why don't you compare them to ours? If you know the first thing about us samurai then you should know that we are hardly foes to be taken lightly. Personally I think the warriors of my village would relish this opportunity, how about yours? I tell you this as merely a warning, because if I see that you've come anywhere near Shoryu again then I'll have no choice to tell them of all you've done. . ."
Saito tightened his fists hard enough to draw blood, shaking with barely subdued anger at being bested so easily. There was nothing he could do in this situation; all six of the younger ninja could tell just by the look on his face that he daren't raise another hand to Shoryu, if only to abate the wrath of more than fifty pissed off samurai.
The Zawa clan against the Takashi would certainly be a battle to be remembered. Even Shoryu found himself wondering who would emerge victorious in such a war. Whichever side won would not triumph without their fair share of losses, so Saito's dilemma was understandable: if he upheld his clan's pride and continued to assault Shoryu, the Zawa family would either by wiped out or their numbers cut by at least half from the ensuing battle.
At least, Kazuya had convinced him of that. In truth the Takashi clan didn't care either way what happened to Shoryu – there would be no war even if Kazuya requested it. But what Saito didn't know couldn't hurt him.
"This isn't over, brat," he said at last. With a swish of his cape the head of the clan turned and marched out of the canteen, kicking a chair in his way as he did so. They heard his angry footsteps stamping down the corridor until the door slammed behind him. Silence followed for a few moments as the group relaxed and neutralized their charged chakra, then:
"'They sing his name and toast to him over drinks'? Seriously? You couldn't think of something better than that?" laughed Yuudai.
"Maybe I overdid it a little," Kazuya admitted as he sheathed his weapon. "But he bought that, right?"
"Obviously," said Hoshi.
The two teams returned to their seats and continued as though nothing had happened, yet Shoryu sat smugly with a wide smile across his lips. He'd picked up on something the others hadn't. When Ayako noticed his satisfied little grin she asked him about it, at which point Kazuya sighed and planted a hand to his forehead.
"Don't say it!" he warned.
Shoryu laughed again. The Chunin exams were over now; Kazuya had no excuse for abandoning his ways and bluffing his way out of conflict. Mimicking the same words he'd spoken earlier, the boy cried aloud, "Deception is a crucial part of being a shinobi!"
"I swear I'll kill you!"
Reizo knew from the moment the two pyres collided that his was the weaker. Despite how big his jutsu was, how bright it shone, how hot it burned or how much of his chakra he poured into it, the White Blaze Ultima was no match for Kira's S-Ranked Jutsu. When the Maelstrom Pyrus finally managed to overwhelm his own technique it had already been hindered by Reizo's flames, but it still cooked him black.
The Jonin couldn't help sending out a short scream when the phoenix's breath washed over him. He dropped to his knees, using his hands to support himself as his entire body felt the effects of first and second-degree burns. A flash of blue suddenly appeared to his left. He transferred chakra and formed a simple hand sign, hoping it would be enough to save him from death.
"Earth Style: Stone Grid Jutsu!"
It was a pitifully basic jutsu to use. The ground to his side rose up in a waffle-shaped slab to guard him from the attack, but despite earth's natural advantage over water the serpent still crashed through it meeting little resistance. It slammed into Reizo, following up on the phoenix's attack by assaulting the Jonin with all the force of a tsunami.
He found himself spinning with the tide, soaking wet with the force knocking every shallow breath of wind from his lungs. When his dizziness subsided he groped for a handhold to slow himself down as he skidded towards the cliff edge. He found one and stopped, but even when he did he wondered what use it would do – he might as well just roll over and die.
Being drenched and nearly out-cold from that last attack meant that he could no longer utilise his prized Daimyo Raikyogan. He disabled the dojutsu right as Kira began to laugh to himself, his victory imminent.
"Well done Reizo, you're still alive after all," he said. His water and flame-based jutsu even appeared to share his delight.
Reizo punched the floor in frustration; it was over. His own signature technique had been utterly disabled and he found himself still facing two of the deadliest attacks the Cloud had seen in a hundred years. Kira would kill him here and now; then he would catch up to Hatori and kill him too, destroying the condemning evidence and continuing his life leading the village as they went about their lives, oblivious to his true nature.
He'd let them all down – his village, his country, Kazuya, Ayako, Shoryu. Shoryu. . . He wondered, realising the battle was far from over. He's supposed to have a Raikyogan by birth right but he doesn't. I bet he's passed no matter what my father throws his way – he uses his own strength. I need to do the same for this. Think, what can I use?
Reizo scanned the environment for something – anything that could give him the advantage. He had a whole cliff of rock to fuel his earth techniques, but they only lasted so long against the combined force of the Tsunami Aquas and Maelstrom Pyrus. If he used his fire techniques they'd simply be overturned by phoenix, as he had nothing to match its level. Lightning techniques on the other hand – save for the Raikyogan – could be used. He'd failed at targeting the basilisk before, but now his eyes darted around the whole clearing until he found his source of inspiration.
The Phoenix Maelstrom Pyrus emitted a dark smog of noxious smoke that rose high into the sky, polluting the view with pregnant storm clouds that would bear their rain in a few hours. All Reizo had to do was speed up that process using a vast amount of his own chakra.
He quickly formulated a plan; he had three jutsu in mind, but the three of them – the last one in particular – consumed a tremendous amount of energy on his part. He'd never pushed himself to that kind of limit before, meaning he had no idea whether or not he contained the chakra necessary. Still, he was dead if he didn't act anyway, so he decided to go ahead with it, forming the first hand sign to start off his collection of formidable jutsu.
"Seriously? You still persist?" asked Kira. "Why? Your most effective technique is gone."
"I've got more tricks up my sleeve than just the Raikyogan, Lord Raikage! You're about to learn that the hard way. Mark my words, you won't leave this place until I'm dead and buried!"
Reizo continued to weave together his hand signs at a rate alarmingly faster than before – his speed began to rival even that of Kira's, and the look of eager adrenaline in his eyes assured the older man that this was no bluff. It served to confuse him; as the Kage of the village he had files on everyone. He'd studied every ninja who could pose a threat to him – including Reizo – and formulated effective counters against their every jutsu.
"HA!" he laughed. "There's nothing you can use that I haven't already compensated for. I've got your entire arsenal memorised!"
Reizo smiled and replied, "Oh trust me, you haven't seen everything just yet."
"Oh really?"
"Earth Style: Grand Stone Fortress!"
Before Kira could react accordingly the Jonin had every pebble in the cliff face under his control. Reizo assimilated the entire land around him; in mere moments the cliff had shrunk to about half its normal size, its thick chunks of rock breaking off and rising of their own accord, spiralling around him. They wove together, glued in place and smoothed out the jutting edges of their crags to form a single solid structure.
Standing before him, Kira found that Reizo had created exactly what his jutsu had outlined – a fort made entirely from the earth itself, complete with two whole storeys and its own little entrances. Catapults and barrages of the same material were posted outside, drawn back and primed, ready to bombard the Kage and his pet jutsu with every remaining stone the cliff had to offer.
This, however, was something Kira had foreseen already. He knew all about the technique, and although it put a blockade in his way it was nothing he couldn't eventually break down with the force of the Maelstrom Pyrus and the Tsunami Aquas.
As the garrison pelted both the phoenix and the serpent with wave after wave of solidified rock Kira ordered them to attack. They battered against the Grand Stone Fortress, spewing their element-infused breaths onto the building and ramming it with every tonne of their combined weight. Every time they did so another layer of rock exploded from the surface and scattered into the waters below. Kira began to get impatient before long; he upped the velocity of his attacks if only to get Reizo's protective shell out of the way.
"You can't hide behind that forever! Once I smash it to pieces you'll be buried underneath it!" Kira bellowed.
Conversely, Reizo was doing much more than simply hiding. He shot off hand signs at lightning fast speeds in the dimly lit upper level of his stronghold. Rocks from the roof and walls crumbled and clattered to the floor around him, though by the time the Kage began to seriously threaten the fortress his jutsu was complete. He held the last seal, darted left away from a patch of falling ceiling and leapt up through the hole it had left in its wake to the roof.
Now that his opponent was back in sight Kira's smile widened. He pointed past an incoming slingshot of gathered rock and ordered his servants to attack. Reizo thrust his hand to the sky, directing his chakra to the black clouds above and manipulating them to do his bidding. From head to toe he was wet as a drenched rat, but unlike the Raikyogan it mattered little to this particular jutsu.
"Lightning Style: Storm Command Jutsu!"
Both the blazing phoenix and the waterfall of a snake were both suddenly intercepted in their path towards Reizo; a bolt of lightning broke the air between them, forcing the creatures to back off in fear before all hell broke loose from the clouds. Lightning began to fall – a bolt a second, stemming from the blackened clouds that Kira had unwittingly created using the Maelstrom Pyrus.
For the most elite shinobi it was an old trick that had been historically difficult to pull off. Reizo had no idea who had originally come up with such a great idea, but he praised and cursed them for it at the same time. On the one hand he now had Kira on the ropes. With tendrils of thunder falling like rain to contend with on top of the onslaught from his fortress, the Kage was shown no quarter in which to attack back. Atop the snake he swerved to and fro to avoid the hail, moving about erratically just to save his own skin.
On the other hand, the Storm Command Jutsu used up far more chakra than Reizo would've liked. It left him weak, panting for breath and on the verge of complete exhaustion after the high toll the battle had already taken on him. It also made his foe's movements ridiculously hard to follow; Kira bobbed about randomly, making Reizo's final and most formidable jutsu even harder to pull off – if he timed it wrong he would miss his only chance.
With a single sign Reizo blasted his right hand with a single, low-powered blast of the White Blaze Jutsu. He winced as he toasted his hand lightly in the process, but at least it was dry. Unlike the Raikyogan which manipulated his entire body's bioelectric field, this last jutsu was formed out of his chakra, concentrated only into the palm of his right hand.
A simple alteration to his stone fortress allowed Reizo to form another catapult – this one on the roof. He strode over to the platform where a chunk of rock ought to be and stood firmly; it would fire him into the air on his command only, but before that happened he had to execute his third jutsu. He only hoped he retained consciousness.
His last two jutsu had required upwards of forty hand signs. This required three, but the chakra it consumed was way beyond the comfort zone of even most Jonin. After executing the seal of the ox, the rabbit and the monkey Reizo took its signature stance. He stood with knees bent, his right arm straight and facing downwards with his left hand gripping his forearm, as though he tried to push down and contain some great unfathomable power.
In actuality that wasn't far from the truth.
Focused lightning burst from the surface of his dry right hand. Blue and white bolts raged in a handheld thunderstorm at his feet, stemming from a circuit of volatile, charging energy cupped within his palm. Before long the excess thunder danced around him, forming a circle by his feet and illuminating his gruelling expression with a shifting glow of electric blue.
Most notable however, was the sound this particular jutsu made. The unstable hissing of a broken generator surged to life, and faintly behind it the noise of what sounded like birds screeched from his arm as he struggled to keep the technique under control.
He looked up, finding the most fundamental drawback of the attack instantly. This jutsu created a form of tunnel-vision; he could see only straight ahead of him, and when moving, one could only run in a straight line. He'd heard before that the original users of this jutsu utilised the Sharingan to compensate for this fault, allowing them to predict the movements of their opponents and fire it accordingly. Reizo had no such luxury so the risk was far greater, meaning he used it only in do-or-die situations.
With Kira moving about so much under the flying landslide and lightning storm it would be made even harder to land. Worse still was the fact that the Raikage himself had already noticed Reizo charging it – the immense flash of blue and white light it gave out coupled with the signature noise of crackling pylons made it almost impossible to ignore.
"What is that jutsu?" he demanded as he directed the serpent away from a rock. "I've never heard anything of it before! When did you learn that?"
"This," Reizo began, "is a technique from long before you or I even existed – a remnant of some of the most powerful ninja to ever walk the land. I spent these last few years learning it, and the reason you've not heard of it until now. . . Is because no one who's ever seen me use this jutsu has lived to tell of it later."
Kira's fear became palpable immediately. Reizo could see as he jerked and twisted between flying boulders and dropping lightning that he was scared – scared that there was no way for him to possibly dodge it. Reizo watched for a few seconds, searching for some kind of rhythm in the Kage's flow to exploit. He found one eventually. It was a gamble, but it was the best chance he had to end this for good.
He kicked off a burst of chakra from his feet, sending up the catapult that propelled him fifty feet into open air. Below him the ravine of rushing water and debris loomed, and before him the sight of Kira's and his monsters fending for their lives rushed to meet him. He closed the gap between them in seconds; Reizo felt the splash of the water snake's fangs nip at his soles as he sailed right over its head, closing in on the arch of its neck where Kira Asakura stood defenceless and exposed.
Tunnel vision mixed with his already growing delirium to make his eyesight weak, but he wouldn't falter now. He drew back his arm, bursting with thunder, and thrust it forward with all the strength he could conceivably muster.
"RAIKIRI!"
As Reizo landed the roar of the electrical storm cried out louder than ever. He plunged his glowing hand right into the chest of the Tenth Raikage, impaling his heart, exploding his every muscle from the inside out with a sudden burst of concentrated lightning.
At long last he'd done it – the Raikage was defeated and the wound he'd left upon the village left to heal at the guidance of a new one. Above them the phoenix dissipated into smoke. Below them the surface of the snake condensed and shrunk into fog, dropping Reizo into a sudden fall as he fainted there on the spot.
When the Jonin regained consciousness a minute or two later he found himself floating on his back down the river that sailed beneath the bridge. Debris from both the broken arch and the cliff-face knocked into him every now and again, joining him in the current flowing carelessly down the stream. His every joint ached at the slightest twitch; for a while he simply wanted to lie on his back and flow wherever the river wanted to take him, but then he spied the body of Kira Asakura.
The Kage was face-down in the current, floating just a few metres ahead of him and leaving behind a thick trail of blood where Reizo had opened him up with the Raikiri. The jutsu had taken more out of him than he realised; at his peak he could use it three times before his chakra diminished, but using it so late in the fight meant that he'd been in no condition to properly execute it in the first place.
Knowing that jutsu and valuable information could be extracted from the bodies of fallen ninja, Reizo hardly thought it wise to leave the carcass of a Kage just lying around. Using all his willpower he swam forward and took the old man under his arm before dragging them to the bank of the river.
They'd floated quite a way; Reizo couldn't even see the broken bridge anymore. Here the stone was crushed into thick, damp sand that suctioned against his hand whenever he planted it. Above them an overhanging crag of rock formed a shadow over the Jonin and the dead Kage. They were hardly ideal circumstances, but Reizo could think of far worse.
He flipped over Kira's body before jumping back in fright when the old man stirred. Reizo leapt to his feet as quick as a jackrabbit, brandishing his spear to full size and preparing to finish off his opponent by sticking him right through the skull. He stopped, however, when he noticed the new expression across his old leader's face.
No longer did he wear that hatred-fuelled sneer of wicked mocking. His eyes had reverted from their beady, evil and manic glare into a sunken, softer look. He stared up at the cloudy sky as if looking at the heavens themselves. The frown lines of his once-malicious snigger had faded into the wrinkles that displayed his true age, and instantly Reizo understood what had happened.
Pain was the bane of Genjutsu; if one subjected themselves to enough of it they could break free of the illusions and control of their captors. In blasting Kira with the full force of the Raikiri, Reizo had unwittingly set free the tired old man who'd been trapped, unable to move inside his own body for over a decade. It mattered little in the grand scheme of things – Kira wasn't long for this world anyway, but he saw it differently.
Using whatever strength he had remaining the elder somehow managed to raise his hand and clasp the ankle of the Jonin. It was a simple gesture, but the best he could do under the circumstances.
"Reizo," he spluttered, coughing up another mouthful of blood. "B-. . . Be careful. Be careful of," he went on, "Al-Alpha Gene. And. . . Jikogan. . . Senmatsu - they're all. . ." Deluded and dying, the Kage released his grip on Reizo's ankle. He let out a long exhale and closed his eyes, satisfied that he could spend the last moments of his life as a free man with his strange message half-delivered. "Thank you. . ."
End of Volume I
Author's Notes: Whaaaa? Reizo has the Raikiri? Yup. I dunno, guess I just liked the idea of a jutsu that Kakashi created still being around as like a super-secret ultimate technique a century and a half after his death. The Sharingan and the Byakugan until now have been the only major jutsu still alive and kicking in Legacies.
Reizo also used Sasuke's method of turning rain clouds into a storm if anyone noticed. The only difference being that Reizo had to spend a massive amount of his own chakra to manipulate it whereas Sasuke basically condensed it into his own. Yeah it doesn't make much sense to me either - Sasuke just totally hax'd that part as far as I'm concerned xD
The jutsu chart got another big update with another bunch of A and S-Ranks. The Raikiri is also up there even though it's not mine, it's just as a power-comparison thing so you know what level of techniques we're dealing with.
So we know what the Jikogan is, but what's the Alpha Gene? Well, all I can say that we've already seen it in some way on five separate occasions so far, I'll just tease it at that :P
So yeah, that was Volume 1. Considering it was called "The Dawn of a New Threat" I think it worked out quite well! There's a timeskip in the next chapter with the beginning of Volume 2 as I've mentioned already, so those scenes you've just read are the last you'll ever see of the thirteen year old renditions of Shoryu, Kazuya and Ayako. Kind of ended on a cheery note didn't it? Sure they're going to war, but as long as Shoryu and Kazuya are still at each other's throats it'll aaaalllll be fine. . . OR WILL IT?
So how long is the timeskip? Months? Years? Wait and see! Volume 2, as you can probably guess, revolves around the war. Also here are all the unanswered questions so far in Legacies, some of which you've probably even forgotten all about. That's right, ALL of these will be answered throughout Volume 2:
Who and what are the clones? What is their goal? Who do they serve? Who created them? Who is the Genjutsu master that possessed the clones and Kira Asakura? Why are the clones under Genjutsu in the first place? What is the Alpha Gene?
What does that purple insignia stand for? How does it tie together the clones, their masters, Shoryu's father, Kiyoshi Uchiha and Kamiko Honami?
Why is there only one dragon remaining? Why were the clones after it? Who was the anonymous client who posted the egg mission? Who is/was the recent, left hand-printed summoner of the dragons with unreadable writing?
What exactly happened to Kazuya's father Michio; was he really killed by someone connected to Shoryu? What's the story behind the dojutsu that was 'created' by Kazuya's grandfather?
What happened to Shoryu's father Shoichi? Why did he have a flute from the Takashi clan – was he close with them?
Why did Shoryu miss out on the Raikyogan?
All this and more! Also there's a drawing of new-era Shoryu in next chapter. Sayonara!