Chapter 37: How It All Began
"Michio." Shoichi lowered his voice as Teijo prepared for war before his eyes. A fight was about to start, one that he couldn't let his cousin be a part of. "You remember what we promised each other right? If I'm not me the next time we see each other, you won't hesitate to kill me – and I'd do the same for you. That was our arrangement wasn't it?"
Michio cocked his head. "Yeah, sure. Why bring it up now though?"
"Say it again. If Teijo or anyone else gets a hold of my body I'd rather see it slain at your hands than used for their regime," Shoichi repeated. It was a vow they swore upon years ago; the very idea of Teijo using their likeness, their status or their jutsu to make his evil ends meet was too extreme to live with.
"Of course Shoichi." Michio nodded. "Like I'd go back on something like that! I don't do half-assed promises."
"Good, just remember that. . . -Watch out!"
With Shoichi's horror-stricken eyes and frantic gesture pointing to the sky Michio swivelled upon Shade to see the commotion. His Jikogan scanned the clouds and horizon for Teijo's first move like a hawk. But nothing was there; nothing but the bleeding sky and meandering bolts of lightning that served as their permanent backdrop.
Always so gullible. Sorry about this Michio, I'll see you around.
"Where? I don't see anyth-" Michio's speech came to an end as the butt of Shoichi's sword smacked hard against the back of his head. Limp as a fish the ninja collapsed onto the crown of the panther he sat atop.
Teijo's laughter reached a new volume. With his pearly teeth bared the man released a chuckle that soon turned into a high-pitched screech of continuous vowels, echoed around every angle by his Alpha Gene. Shoichi resisted the urge to look behind him; the vile sound came from everywhere, its only purpose to expose his back to Teijo.
"Shade, get Michio as far away from here as you can," said the ninja. "If his attention is focused on me then he won't be able to keep you in his Genjutsu for long. Pick a direction and keep running that way. Don't change course and don't look back."
Shade's courteous reply was drowned by Teijo's wailing laughter coming to a close.
"So virtuous as always big brother!" he said, clapping his hands. "You'd risk fighting me one on one just to save his life?"
Shoichi shook his head. "Honestly, I'm just making it easier for myself. You were banking on Michio charging you, and rightly so – he would have done just that. If you managed to take control of him this fight would be over in an instant. I'll have a hard enough time against just you, let alone both of you at the same time."
As he spoke Shoichi listened to the ambiance, paying close attention to the sound of Shade's paws on the rocks loping away. Teijo made no move to intercept them. Shoichi studied his face; was he testing them? In five years it was difficult to assess how much stronger Teijo had become. The only way to find out was to see for himself. Shoichi's grip tightened on his sword.
Once drawn the full glamour of Shoichi's blade was on display. Black and crystalline, the alloy shone like a midnight shadow, glimmering and stark under the watercolour sun. At close to five feet long the sword was bigger than most katana; two hands were needed for flawless kenjutsu, but the blade's weight meant it could be swung with one for quick cuts.
"Smart plan," said Teijo. "However that does mean that the only way you'll be able to get out of here now is through me."
"Hmm." Still atop Aitrax, Shoichi took his sword in his right hand and carved a neat slash into his palm. He then leaned over and thrust his sword into the earth. With the last twenty inches sucked in dirt the ninja left his weapon there, taking note of the bewildered expression his brother displayed. At least he had the element of surprise; most of his jutsu were unknown to Teijo.
"Alright then, let's get started shall we?" From out of his pocket Teijo found a single ryo coin and bounced it around his palm. "Let's say. . . Heads is hot, tails is cold. That sound fair enough?"
Shoichi said nothing as he stared at the spinning golden coin. Damn, I've never seen this one before. Is it a projectile? In theory he can make it into whatever he wants. Or is it just a coin toss? What kind of odds do I get when he manipulates what I see?
"You don't need to worry, I won't cheat." Teijo seemed to read his mind. "It's just a coin flip, and either way works for me." With a flick of his thumb the penny span up past his forehead and came back down to his open palm. Flipping it onto his other hand, Teijo covered it as he hyped up the result.
Slowly Teijo's hand crept away. "Heads it is!"
The effect was instantaneous. A scorching desert climate swept across Shoichi as his brother revelled in its effectiveness. The shock of the temperature change made him sick, a sudden dizziness that doubled him over sweating with a heartbeat like a drumroll.
Heat waves rose up in groups around him, quickly blurring Teijo into obscurity. As Shoichi found his head and clothes slick with sweat his mouth grew dry, and before long Teijo's projected voice was the only part of him he was able to follow.
"Neat trick huh? I thought it up just last year. Makes people think twice about fighting me."
If the jutsu wasn't bad enough Teijo bombing through the haze of the heat made it worse. Before he could find his sword Shoichi felt the savage touch of his brother's fist crash across his cheek, throwing him off Aitrax where Teijo could continue on. Another attempt to get up was cut short by a kick, and when he tried a third time Teijo's haymaker put stars in his sights. Eventually Shoichi got up, still burning in the heat, but by then Teijo was gone again.
"I won't enslave you just yet. I want you to suffer first – slowly and painfully. I'll bring you back to the Sanctum unburdened so you can apologise to father and sister with your own tongue."
Can't fight in this heat. Think! How do you combat hot weather? Sunblock? No Shoichi! Not sunblock you moron! Air conditioning? Air conditioning!
Three hand signs followed before Teijo could make his next move. "Wind Style: Zephyr Stream!"
Squalls of air in wavering currents suddenly burst from the final seal Shoichi made. In cross-cutting streams they swirled around him like a mantle of ghostly ribbons. As a low-level technique the jutsu was designed to redirect incoming shuriken, keeping cool was a handy side-effect.
Even though the heat persisted its presence became far more bearable. With a gentle breeze blowing through his clothes Shoichi could concentrate on the fight. As his eyes darted around he removed his jacket, draping the blue garment over a rock to avoid stains.
"Is it my turn now?" Shoichi called to the heat waves.
"Go ahead brother! I'm waiting here; show me what you can do!"
Vague human shapes formed silhouettes in the mirage surrounding Shoichi, a confusing crowd that constantly appeared in his peripheries. He ignored them; Teijo had already given him his cue to attack. His brother's curiosity would spare him a quick death – for now.
"It's been a while Teijo, I don't suppose you remember what my Alpha Gene entails," said Shoichi.
"The Summoning Jutsu right? What about it?" came Teijo's reply.
The ninja grinned. "It's kind of a hard skill to nurture when you're stuck on an isolated island for most of your teenage years. The only contracts I could form back then were those father presented to me. Freedom made me stronger Teijo; I didn't fully appreciate the value of this power until the world became open to me."
"Oooohh." Mocking fear, the surroundings spoke again. "Is that supposed to frighten me big brother? Make your move. . . Or I'll make it for you."
Right. . . As he glanced around the clearing Shoichi formulated a plan. Obscuring, suffocating illusions made the battlefield a small one, and the ninja needed all the room he could get. Shoichi's hand signs almost made themselves; in just a few moments the right strategy was clear to him. His fingers did the rest of the work. I need a better field of vision.
"Wind Style: Outburst Jutsu!"
Air exploded in a perfect circle from Shoichi, crumbling illusions left right and centre as Aitrax hooked his claws and held on. Green chakra so strong it took physical form leapt from Shoichi's fingertips. In a growing tsunami gale-force winds blasted the highlands, dulling the heat waves and revealing Teijo's location.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Rather than heading straight for his brother Shoichi got into position. As his three clones circled Teijo the black panther bounded to the summoner. Shoichi hopped aboard and backed off; even from a distance he saw his clones forming seals in perfect synchronism – his opening move. Teijo merely watched them, hardly batting an eyelid even as three right hands planted the ground. Ink circles spread before the voices cried in unison:
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Checkmate. Shoichi smiled as his backup arrived in a trio of smoky explosions engulfing the area. White mist plumed to the discoloured clouds above, and when it cleared his odds didn't seem so bad.
The first Shadow Clone rode a violet coloured snake bigger than a whale. At over fifty feet in height Manda was the first to emerge from the fog, his oversized head poking out as his forked tongue licked the air. Six bony protrusions sprouted from its head, the last pair giving way to a sequence of white rings running down the snake's entirety. Easily his most volatile summon, even Shoichi himself found himself fearful of the serpent. Malicious yellow slits formed its pupils, hardly a look that begged trust and loyalty.
As the wind blew over the second came into view, a dark rhino as high and large as a house. Legs thicker than tree trunks battered the folding rocks whenever it so much as shuffled. Twin horns sharp as Aitrax's fangs rose in single file, visibly taller than Shoichi's clone stood right between them. Jehruud was his name, Shoichi's favourite ally when it came to wanton destruction. Stampeding through a stronghold with him caused more damage than an earthquake.
The third was an eagle, slightly larger than Aitrax when it sat down to roost. Proud and diligent, the beast stood in golden and white where its feathers met in jagged patterns, flaring out four great wings in a show of aggression as it locked eyes with Teijo.
"Lorakai! Easy girl, don't attack him just yet. Take us to the skies."
A shrill screech was the eagle's only reply as a single beat of her wings propelled them right up to Manda's eye-level. The two summons glared at each other; bringing a bird and a snake to the same battlefield was never a good idea. They had history – or their families did at least – but Shoichi knew that he couldn't call himself a summoner unless he had them under his command.
"Don't even think about it you two!" the ninja called up. "You can settle things when we're done here. If you don't focus against this guy then we're dead!"
Teijo's counterattack came in force. Flying upward, the Senmatsu prodigy spiralled toward the bickering creatures, his foot slamming hard into the rhino's jaw as he made his ascent. Manda reared back its head and hissed, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
At the same time Shoichi and Aitrax set off. Nimble as a shadow the panther bounced from rock to rock as segments of the earth bent up to block their path. The surface had a mind of its own; in toxic clouds the dirt and sand swirled to form impassable zones, and all the while Shoichi found himself bombarded by homing rounds of black slate.
Those that Aitrax couldn't dash away from Shoichi had to contend with by himself. Wind Jutsu of varying sizes and ranks streamed from his seals at every sharp corner, battering the rocks back down and clearing whatever drifts of smog tried to keep them from Teijo. The fight had barely begun and already he felt the strain on his chakra; expending it in bulk was the only way to stay alive.
When Manda lashed out, its gaping maw quicker than a bullet, Teijo was consumed by him. Rather than shearing into four under the snake's bite however, his figure suddenly vanished in a moving haze of liquid shadow. Manda arched back and looked around. Even from a distance Shoichi could spot his brother, rematerializing in ribbons of darkness right at the snake's blind spot.
Shoichi's clone sprang into action, turning to cover Manda's weakness with the flight of a windmill shuriken. Teijo smacked it aside with a fist. When he moved in for the kill at last the flick of a kunai made Shoichi's clone vanish in smoke, his elbow meeting the snake's cranium with a mountain-crushing blow.
But how? Shoichi wondered as Manda's flat face hit the ground. At a glance the snake weighed a hundred tonnes; the force required to drop such a creature was beyond anything human, but Teijo's Alpha Gene gave him whatever he wanted. Shoichi realised with a start that by manipulating the senses, his brother could make turn lightest flick into a bee sting. He couldn't do that back in the day.
"Aitrax! Don't stop! Keep going!" he ushered the beast.
"Revert!" said Teijo, forming a hand sign.
In an instant Shoichi's world was changed again. Stomach churning vertigo welled up within; his insides suddenly hollow as he found himself running upside down. Below him the sky stretched out like a still pool of water ready to envelop him, the shifting rocks by his side like lamplights on a ceiling. Aitrax stopped too, anchoring himself with his claws from the sudden fear of falling.
It's strange; his attacks on Manda and Jehruud – and now this. It looks like he can affect my summons with his Genjutsu. . . Something didn't add up. Shoichi made a face trying to work it out. But he touched two of them; he used close combat. Why didn't he take control of them? I guess he can't enslave creatures so easily. Good – at least that's a relief.
"Dead ahead Aitrax. We need to close the distance. Ignore the illusion."
"Easy for you to say," grumbled the panther. Regardless, Aitrax set off at a sprint once again, albeit at a more cautious pace. As they approached the battle Teijo took to the skies once more to deal with Lorakai. The eagle ducked and dived from his attacks, with Shoichi's clone firing off consecutive blades of wind from her back. Shadow Clones wouldn't keep Teijo away for long though.
Shoichi cursed to himself; he had to make a move soon. Fortunately with Manda stirring back into consciousness an idea crossed his mind.
"There! Jump on his tail!"
The king of snakes understood right away. Aitrax leapt aboard the rattle of Manda's tail and upped his speed to a furious bound. Smooth scales gave them a natural highway to dash up, a winding road that grew steeper and steeper as Manda drew himself back to full height. At all times Shoichi kept his eyes fixed on his brother, casting his signs only when certain Teijo was looking at Lorakai.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a flash of smoke another clone took its seat atop Aitrax. Everything fell into place perfectly. With Teijo's back turned he failed to notice as his brother threw himself off the speeding shadow onto Manda, nor the leaping panther with his clone in tow hurtling through the air towards him. Using the snake's incline as a ramp the sabre-toothed cat propelled itself through the air, ignoring the inverted floor as it stretched out its claws for a pounce.
Tackled from the sky, Teijo found himself falling, pinned by one feral claw of a panther as the visage of his brother cast hand signs atop the beast. As the trio spiralled downward Aitrax swung a claw, the blades tearing through fabric to draw a series of wounds down Teijo's chest. Even then Teijo regarded his brother as the greater threat; he loosed a kunai aimed for the jugular, and then froze in horror when Shoichi dissipated into smoke.
In a tumble of fists, claws and teeth Aitrax and Teijo hit the ground fighting. A second passed before both leapt to their feet to resume their battle. Shoichi meanwhile remained hidden.
In the venomous wet cavern of Manda's mouth Shoichi found himself looking out at the fight, the snake's fangs like bars over his window. As Manda reared back he clung to the white daggers for support, for when the creature swung its head back he nearly fell toward the eternal blackness of its throat. Like a whip Manda snapped back to his original position, opening his mouth as the momentum carried Shoichi like a bullet towards his brother.
Forming hand signs the ninja shot towards Teijo, but just a few moments into his flight and Shoichi noticed something amiss. Aitrax lay nursing an injury, and with nothing to capture his attention Teijo spotted him immediately. A wicked grin spread to his lips as he opened up his arms in an embrace. That daring invitation – Shoichi had seen it before. He's preparing to enslave me, he realised. I can't let him touch me!
Shoichi abandoned his hand signs in a rush. Instead he turned to the black tattoo etched into his wrist, slapping his hand over it with precious few second to spare.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
At the moment of impact Shoichi swung his right arm down. Clouds fled his hand as something materialised in his grip. With his sword back in hand Shoichi's range was massive. The Flying Swallow technique augmented his already lengthy blade with an extra sheen of wind sharper than ever. In seeing the move Teijo moved to dodge in a smog of darkness, yet the attack still struck him.
When Teijo rematerialized a line of blood stretched from collarbone to armpit. The wound was shallow but long; it would bleed until treated and combat would only stretch it to make matters worse. What confused Shoichi was his brother's apathy towards it. He didn't even flinch, never mind cry out in pain.
"Clever!" Teijo gave a smirk. "You switched yourself out with a clone at the last second. And you managed to turn your sword into an instant summon."
"Yeah, those were steps one and two."
Shoichi's third step came in the form of a rhinoceros as big as a galleon thundering across his field of view. Under the hooves of Jehruud's charge Teijo was trampled, rolling at least a dozen times through kicked-up rubble and dried mud before the rhino passed him by.
Shoichi could only watch as his brother rose to his feet again. Despite bleeding everywhere – no doubt fractured in five different places – Teijo still remained indifferent. He gave a loud crack of his knuckles, his sideways sneer convincing Shoichi he was unhurt.
What? I've never seen anyone get up from that! Has he found a way to block out pain? Or is he even in pain at all? If this is all in our heads then he's the master here; maybe nothing less than a sword through the heart will stop him. No. The ninja shook his head. It's pointless to think about that stuff when I can't prove any of it. I have to stay focused.
"I guess I'll take my turn then," said Teijo.
A few seconds of nothing came and went; Shoichi was about to ask what the rush was before his brother's technique became apparent. Adding to the vertigo of hanging upside down his senses were violated further as his vision split before him. Teijo multiplied – without hand signs or jutsu there were suddenly three of him, then five, then seven – more versions of him blurred from both sides by the second, until at last a small Teijo army surrounded Shoichi.
Crap. As the swarm began to draw hand signs Shoichi used his remaining few seconds to check around him. Save for Aitrax his summons were all too far away to intervene. At a glance there was no way to tell which Teijo was the real one. Shoichi knew then that if he couldn't dispel the Genjutsu all thirty of their jutsu would hit him simultaneously – they might as well all be real.
Quick as he could Shoichi took to his ace in the hole – something he'd been waiting to try since the battle began. Pain was a natural bane to Genjutsu. I might not be able to break out of this thing, but I should be able to target the real one without him noticing.
With his right palm still cut open from summoning Shoichi redoubled the grip on his sword, immediately feeling a stab of pain as blood flowed between the cracks in his fingertips. A slight wince was his only reaction. Good – Teijo didn't suspect a thing. In a hasty quickdraw Shoichi flicked a windmill shuriken out with his left hand, spinning it around his finger as he looked at the ring around him.
Still forming hand signs, all thirty Teijo spoke in unison. "Choose fast brother! I hope you pick the right one!"
Squeezing his hand tighter Shoichi finally found results. Visages of Teijo flickered in and out of existence around him, each of them fading like a dying light bulb. All except one.
"Wind Style!-" they cried.
Shoichi's arm was a snap of lightning as he turned and hurled the shuriken with all his might. On a veering course the star swerved towards its mark, his jutsu still on his lips as the blade buried itself in Teijo's shoulder. Relaxing his hand, Shoichi came back into the illusion, just in time to witness every single copy falling back onto their asses in the same reaction.
By the time they hit the ground only the real Teijo remained. Clutching his shoulder he kept pressure on the affected area. Blood poured from the shuriken's stab like a river. Again he didn't seem in pain, but this time his expression was hardly vacant; Teijo grew more and more frustrated by the second, ashamed that his brother had landed such a vital blow.
He said not a word, but Shoichi prepared himself for the worst as Teijo began to chain seal after seal.
"Ninja Art: Kaiyami Ougi!"
Darkness spread from the man like a plague, blanketing the area around him in a thick, all-consuming shadow. Squeezing his hand didn't make a difference to Shoichi; he saw it all the same, a web of blackness rising up and out Teijo, ever expanding like superheated jelly. Either it was a physical jutsu or a Genjutsu too powerful for him to break out of – it made little difference in the end.
"I'm impressed you forced me to use this Shoichi! I guess now I'll have to finish you off!"
I need more firepower to combat this thing. It's too risky to keep the others here anymore.
"Listen up!" Shoichi called to his comrades. "Everyone return to your homes now! We can't fight this thing as we are!"
The summons didn't like that one bit. Normally the enemy was dead or captured before Shoichi gave him his permission to leave. Now their foe looked stronger than ever; to turn their backs and leave would be shameful for these proud creatures bred for war.
"The fight is over when I'm feasting on his corpse," Manda hissed.
"I hate to say it Shoichi but I agree with him this one time." Aitrax padded over, his fangs bared in a show of contempt. "We can't leave you here alone with him. It's over when it's over."
Shoichi shook his head. "I won't be alone. I've got no choice now but to summon them. You don't want to get caught in the crossfire do you Manda!?"
That told them; Shoichi only had to mention their name and all his summons grew pale with fear. The great snake shrank back and spat in dissent, saying nothing in the end as he finally complied with Shoichi's orders. Jehruud and Lorakai bade him farewell before leaving in smoke as well. Aitrax slumped away nursing his wounds.
"I'll take my leave too then. Let me know if and when you get out of here safely."
"I will, thanks Aitrax." Shoichi nodded.
Another puff of smoke and Shoichi was alone with his brother and that cancerous dark jutsu. With his sword he made a cut down his other hand before planting his blade back in the mud and falling into hand signs.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
This time it was Shoichi's left palm that slapped the ground. Throughout the dozens of blood seals he'd signed in the past, only this one had been forged using his left hand – a result of his right being broken at the time. An ink circle spread from him bigger than any before, visible for a mere half a second before a shroud of white cloud consumed the area.
Once the mist cleared even Teijo stopped to look, for the creatures he'd summoned were known only in ancient myths and forgotten legends.
Dragons – four of them. Tall and gleaming in scales of every shade of the rainbow, the leader spread its wings to their widest and roared a hot chimney of fire to the skies. In blue and black he was ferocious as any beast before him, as big as Manda with a far more terrifying array of weapons. Claws and teeth joined a barbed tail made for destruction – perfect with his ease of flying. In terms of combat they had everything; breath of fire for their offence and scales hard as diamond for their defence. No summon Shoichi knew of could rival them in strength.
"Ryujin!" he called up, addressing the others in turn. The second was a green female of smaller stature. "Kogo!" The last two were brothers; the smallest of them all in crimson and orange, with enough aerial speed to give Aitrax a race to remember. "Okuni! Ninigi! I wouldn't have called you all out here if this wasn't serious."
"Get on then. We've been waiting for a good hunt."
Shoichi did as he was told and found a crook in the Ryujin's neck to seat himself. Teijo kept his distance, swathed in an ever-growing darkness as he waited for the best moment.
"Use attack pattern delta," said Shoichi. "Hit him with everything you've got."
"Understood."
In a synchronised flap of wings the four creatures took flight, banking off in separate directions like a spectral firework rocketing to the sky. With Shoichi in tow Ryujin flew straight up, making for the clouds whilst the ninja swivelled in his seat, a watchful eye on the battle below.
Napalm scoured the surface of the gorge as Kogo made a rush straight for Teijo. Like charred paper his shield of shadows crumpled and smoked where he lifted it in defence. Javelins of the vile jutsu rushed up in a backlash, though Kogo rolled in a dizzying twirl to evade. She passed safely over Teijo as the ninja prepared for another shot at her, fingers interlocking for another use of his jutsu.
Okuni intervened, the scarlet dragon bearing down in a sideways hack of his claws. Through liquid shadow they scored past Teijo's barrier, knocking him off balance before Ninigi took his place. A single great beat of his orange wings gave enough off downward force to make Teijo cover his eyes, instinctually blinding himself to the white fireball that knocked him off his feet and melted the dark miasma.
"Shoichi, now is the time."
"Gotcha!" Shoichi found himself so entranced by their movements that he forgot all about aiding them, but the best was yet to come. With the time they'd bought Shoichi and Ryujin managed to climb hundreds of feet, their heads touching the clouds. Beneath him the ninja felt the cool blue scales of the dragon lord heat up as fire pooled in his belly; that was his cue to act.
Springing to his feet Shoichi bounded his way up the spine of the dragon until he reached Ryujin's crown. He strung together hand signs and channelled chakra to his fingertips as sharp as he could make it. In front of him the two fissures of Ryujin's nostrils columned black smoke that obscured his vision. As the dragon looked down Shoichi sent chakra to the soles of his feet to keep him steady, locking his last seal into place.
"Wind Style: Infernal Fang Jutsu!"
Combining with the flames of the mightiest dragon Shoichi's breeze became a hurricane of molten, flesh-searing fire that bore down in a widening cone like a pillar of wrath from a god. As the dragons cleared the area the land was consumed by the flames, melting rock into smooth, plastic-looking shapes and grass into fields of ash.
"Did we get him?" Shoichi asked, unable to see through the smoke.
"Of course we did, no one survives that technique."
But Teijo did survive. Using the rocks as a shield he pushed them off once the flames died down, oblivious to the state of ruin his body was in. More than half of his face was caught in the flames, an unsightly mess of smoking patches of flesh, bright pink and even black across his forehead. Hair was missing too; spots of scalp could be seen on his head like a cruel prank at a party. His clothes had turned to rags with some spare looms of fabric across his knees and shoulders, his decency preserved only by the torn remnants of his trousers.
Even then Teijo looked more angry than in pain. For any ninja Shoichi knew – himself included – such wounds would bring the battle to an end. Remaining conscious in that state just didn't happen, but Teijo didn't feel the pain. He stood glowering at the sky like a vengeful child before starting his attack again.
Before any could react Teijo's malevolent jutsu took form again. He threw out his arm, and from it tendrils of woven shadow formed a claw, stretching up to the air like a rocket, growing in size as it did so. Like a whip it coiled around Ninigi before jerking him closer and into his reach. The ninja cast a hand sign, extending his middle and ring fingers for an unconventional pose; Shoichi knew it all too well.
"Get out of there!" he called down.
"Ninja Art: Mind Dominion Jutsu."
Too late. With a single touch of his signature seal Teijo enslaved the orange dragon. One moment there was a proud, raging lizard struggling free of the shadows; in the next there was a submissive, pathetic looking creature, patiently waiting for its new master to give him an order.
What the. . . Shoichi shook his head – how could he have been so stupid? He'd convinced himself Teijo's possession technique didn't work on his summons, never stopping to consider the truth. As if to confirm his suspicions his brother's laughter rose up on the wind, mocking him for his failure.
"What's the matter brother? You thought I couldn't enslave these creatures of yours? Fool! I wanted you to think that; I held off on capturing them – I was waiting for you to bring out your most powerful creatures so I could see the look on your face when I take them for myself!"
Damn it! Shoichi sat there livid as Ryujin glided back towards the battlefield. Contemplating his brother's trickery, the ninja forgot all about his surroundings. A brief lapse in concentration nearly made him victim to the layers of Genjutsu his brother had laid down, yet a flash of crimson in his peripheries spurred him back into action.
"TEIJO!" Okuni roared, fire spilling from his maw as he closed in for the kill.
"Get back!" shouted Koga. "We still have strength in numbers! You'll only be caught too!"
But the dragon wasn't listening. He touched down in a storm of claws and teeth making swings at the puppet-master. Teijo ducked and jumped and spat out jutsu to deflect them, but as Okuni grew more and more wild he turned his back to run. Rocks flew up to guide his retreat, the stones forming a cave of sorts for the ninja to scurry inside and wait. Okuni blunted his claws to stumps against the rock face, oblivious to the ruse.
Behind him the wispy outline of a shadow bloomed in the air. Okuni turned – straight into the teeth of his brother. In a wheel of crimson and orange the two dragons wrestled each other for dominance, their bodies flattening the ground as boulders shattered under their weight. Seeing no choice but to fight his brother Okuni sucked in air for a fireball. He never noticed Teijo, the comparatively tiny man materialising in black smoke at his tail.
"Okuni!" Ryujin boomed down. Silence fell for the first time since the battle began. Shoichi knew what it meant; as the two dragons finally slowed to a halt Okuni's blank expression told him everything – that he was no longer the master of his own body. If only he hadn't been so reckless; now it was three against three. Their odds only seemed to get worse.
"You should leave. You too Koga!" he called. "We can't win against him! Not like this! I'm sorry I dragged you into it."
"We're going nowhere," settled Ryujin. With another puff of black smoke he made his position clear. "We're a family. We cannot leave until those two are returned to us."
"Sorry!" Teijo's voice sang from every direction as he and his two new dragons took their places behind him. The ninja snapped his fingers, and then there were two of him; two hideously scarred ninja with scruffy hair and pearly teeth. "But I quite like these guys! Can't say I'm ready to give them up just yet!"
As each Teijo hopped aboard, Ninigi and Okuni took to the skies. Side by side they ran in rings around the three survivors, circling them like wolves threatening their prey. Shoichi watched them intently, trying to work out which one they would target first – and more importantly, which was the real Teijo. Squeezing his hand only drew more blood; the genjutsu proved too powerful to see past just by inducing pain.
Shoichi muttered a curse as the dragons banked for Koga. The green dragon growled and readied a flame when her children came streaming towards her.
"Koga MOVE!" thundered Ryujin.
Instead she stood her ground. As the trio collided she sunk her teeth into Okuni's arm, claws latching onto him to maintain her flight as Ninigi barrelled into her flank like a train. Blood poured in a savage fountain as she bit down harder and shook her head from side to side, the momentum knocking Teijo off the dragon's back to plummet back to the surface.
Seeing his brother fall like a helpless piece of debris sparked a thought from Shoichi. Wait a second, Teijo can fly in this world. That means. . . "Koga! Behind you! He's with Ninigi!"
Koga released the dragon in her jaws and flapped around just in time to see her second son rushing her way in a bolt of orange, the contented snigger of Teijo sat on his back. The ninja leapt to his feet and jumped off the dragon as a flame from Ryujin knocked it from the sky, and with a surge of darkness he glided ahead to land on Koga's back.
Seeing that same hand sign again Shoichi launched off Ryujin and threw his last windmill shuriken. Teijo kicked it aside, the action distracting him for a moment as Shoichi descended towards him. With a slap of his wrist and a shout of "Summoning Jutsu!" the black sword puffed back into his hand.
Shoichi came down with an overhead swing, his blade glancing in sparks off the green scales of Koga as his brother swerved to evade. A kick smashed into his ribs before Teijo followed up with a three-punch combo – two swift jabs to the gut and a final haymaker to connect with Shoichi's jaw. Seeing dark spots, the ninja cut at thin air, using the sword's length to create distance and time for him to attack again – but in those few seconds Teijo acted.
"Ninja Art: Mind Dominion Jutsu!"
When Shoichi came back to reality it was already too late. Beneath him Koga bucked and thrashed as Teijo clung on. Unable to keep footing, Shoichi found himself reaching out for a wing before descending into free-fall. Faster and faster the ground below rushed up to meet him; it would be a quick splat and a heap of broken bones to mark his death – hardly the kind of end Shoichi desired for the fight.
Fortunately Ryujin scooped him up, ducking into a nose dive before pulling up as Shoichi nestled onto his neck. The pair skimmed the ground for a moment, dodging the living surface and random spouts of water. With a few flaps of his wings Ryujin took them higher; Okuni tried another round of dive-bombs until the larger dragon swatted him aside like an annoying gnat.
Higher and higher they flew; Shoichi wondered what on earth Ryujin was doing until he noticed the dragon was actively avoiding flying anywhere near his possessed kin. Through a fog of dense cloud they rose, with Shoichi emerging damp and shivering as they kept going higher. Eventually it became hard to breathe and even colder than ever. A stripe of darkness covered the horizon. Shoichi studied it for a few moments before realising it was the verge of space; never before had he flown this high.
"Ryujin, why take us up here?" he asked. "You planning for some kind of suicide kamikaze attack?"
The dragon growled as he slowed to a hover. "Nothing like that Shoichi. I only wanted some privacy – the others can't fly this high, the air is too dense for them. Your brother won't reach us here."
"Now might be a good chance for us to get out of here then," Shoichi observed.
"I can't do that. I won't leave my family behind. But you can. You can get out of this mess can't you? You could survive this?"
"I. . ." The ninja released a sigh. After everything, running alone would only make him feel worse. "I could, yeah. I have no plans on doing that though."
"No, you have to," said Ryujin. "Use the Summoning Jutsu for my clan – you'll understand."
Shoichi paused. "Hang on; I already summoned all four of you! Using the jutsu again won't do anything."
"Just use it!" roared the dragon.
Shrugging, Shoichi figured he'd humour Ryujin and at least give it a try. His fingers formed five seals before his left hand smacked the sapphire scales of the dragon's back. Squiggles and archaic characters spread from the circle of ink his hand created.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A small puff of smoke burst into being – Ryujin wasn't lying. Shoichi sat there scratching his head, wondering why this creature hadn't been summoned to the battlefield when he called them. His question was answered when the smoke cleared. There, nestled on the surface of Ryujin's back, was an egg.
"This is Koga's – and mine too," said Ryujin. "Promise me you'll look after it. Make sure our legacy lives on."
"I-" Shoichi stammered. After dooming them all he couldn't bring himself to accept. "I'm not worthy of it."
"If you feel that way then give it to someone you think is. I'll trust your judgement. Without its mother the egg won't hatch unless it grows attached to someone."
The ninja nodded his head, carefully slipping the egg into his tool pouch. He could hardly refuse Ryujin's last request; he owed the dragon that much.
"How do you plan on escaping then?" Ryujin asked.
Shoichi replied by stringing five hand signs together and slapping down his right hand. This time his summoning conjured a furry creature; a harmless little ball of fur no bigger than a football with two stumpy legs as its only appendages. Then its eyes opened, showing two enormous orange orbs that made up most of its body.
"Breem, get me a reverse summoning – as fast as you can."
"Breee!" chirped the furball. The fuzzy creature hopped up and down and twirled around before vanishing in smoke once more.
"Let's go," said Shoichi. "I don't have long."
With low growl as his only reply Ryujin's wings stopped flapping. The two fell into a dive, plummeting as an enormous blue comet back down into the atmosphere. Dragons on all sides made furious sweeps at them, but Ryujin in all his speed burned them off in flips and barrel rolls until his claws shredded the earth upon landing.
One after another the dragon lord's enslaved kinsmen swooped to the ground and fell into formation beside Teijo. He opened his arms, welcoming an attack with a wide smile. Ryujin was only too happy to give him one.
The dragon bloomed another cloud of black smog from his nostrils. "Keep yourself safe Shoichi. I might only be able to buy you a few seconds before he gets to me. I have to be with family, whatever the situation."
Shoichi nodded; if their positions were reversed he'd do the same. "I'll make sure you're freed one day," he promised.
With that, Ryujin was off. Like a battering ram the dragon was unstoppable, tearing through hordes of flying slate and lifted trees turned into spears. One by one the dragons flew at him; Okuni found himself flattened under the weight of his arm and Ninigi was thrown aside by a whip of his spiked tail, as thick as an ancient oak tree.
When Koga attacked it was in fire. Shoichi could only watch as jets of flame from the two most fearsome dragons collided in a roar. Even as they clashed Ryujin continued to barrel forward in heavy stomps, his fire slowly overruling hers until he came within range and rammed her aside.
Now Teijo was his only target, still holding out his arms as if expecting an embrace. With jaws snapping Ryujin made a lunge. His teeth met only the rocks; Teijo leapt up and back with the grace of an angel before conjuring his demonic jutsu. A great claw of shadow and dusk leapt from his arm, clasping around Ryujin's head and pushing him down as he charged. The dragon skidded chin-first across the gravel before his brethren were on him again, teeth and claws mauling his exposed flank like savage pit-bulls.
In the end the three of them managed to pin him down. Teijo glided down to stand on the tip of Ryujin's nose. One touch and it was all over.
When Ryujin rose again Shoichi knew he'd been turned. He lumbered – without the vigour and purpose the lord of all dragons normally embodied. His eyes were cold and emotionless; nothing but dread and submission lay behind the usual sparkle of those giant sapphires. Together the four of them fell into place behind Teijo as he laughed.
"What now Shoichi? Why not just come quietly? Father, sister, uncle; they're all waiting for you. Come on now, this has gone on long enough. You're only making a fool of yourself."
Shoichi shook his head, not bearing to look at Ryujin. "No thanks. I'm actually leaving soon. Got things to do you see."
"You actually think you're going somewhere?" Teijo said in ridicule. When Shoichi nodded with a knowing smile he added, "Even if you could get away that headband betrays you brother. The Hidden Cloud is it?"
Shoichi swore under his breath; he was hoping Teijo wouldn't take notice. In truth the thought occurred to him already, but removing his forehead protector in the middle of battle would only draw attention to it – this outcome was unavoidable.
"What a lovely coincidence!" Teijo showed his teeth in a smug grin. Shoichi knew what he was about to say before he opened his mouth. "Because I'm controlling the Tenth Raikage! I could search the ranks of the ninja – I can knock on every household – there isn't a place in the Hidden Cloud you can't hide from me."
Teijo didn't make idle threats. In that moment Shoichi suddenly understood that his life would have to change; if he returned to the Cloud then his brother would kill him. Not just him – Yuuko and his unborn child would be made victims as well, them and everyone who'd ever been kind to him would be slaughtered or turned before his eyes. Teijo would save him for last.
So Shoichi said nothing. He didn't trust himself to reply, knowing that even the slightest hint of information could betray his family. He couldn't let Teijo take them all away – he wouldn't.
"Well since you're obviously stalling for time I guess I'll have to skip with controlling you and move straight on to killing you," Teijo decided. He jerked his thumb to the dragons. "Already bagged enough for today anyway. So Shoichi, want to see my most powerful trick?"
Without waiting for a response Teijo lifted his hands to the air. Silence passed for the following seconds until Shoichi realised the sky above was changing. The clouds formed a ring, shrouded by blood red chakra as they swirled to create an opening. Again Shoichi wondered whether this was some unholy jutsu or an illusion; it didn't matter either way once the technique started.
Meteors of every shape and size poured from the wormhole in the sky in flaming clusters. Hundreds of them fell at rain like once, and as Shoichi watched them descend he knew speed was all that mattered here. He had to stay alive for as long as possible.
"Come on Breem," he muttered to himself. "Now's a good time for that summoning."
He expected to be whisked away right until the last moment, but when the storm fell his escape was nowhere to be found. Instead Shoichi fell into a sequence of manoeuvres, his eyes locked on the sky approaching tirade.
Using jumps and rolls and flips and spins he danced through the falling rocks. Around him explosions went off by the second as the meteors hit the ground, leaving smouldering craters where they met the earth with each a bang like a thousand drums being played around him.
Ten seconds in felt closer to ten days. It wasn't long before his muscles ached and his movements slowed, the chakra exhaustion of constantly summoning doing him few favours for his stamina. At last an inevitable meteor struck him by the shoulder. Fortunately it was small and broke on his body – hardly enough to leave any lasting damage, but in his momentary trip-up Teijo pounced.
As Shoichi turned back to the maelstrom his brother was upon him, with that same hand sign he knew too well just inches away from his face. Teijo had forgotten all about killing him it seemed; he seized the chance to catch Shoichi alive, and with his pointing fingers too close to dodge all Shoichi could do was close his eyes and pray.
Silence swept over the ninja.
In the blink of an eye the explosions ceased, the heat subsided and Shoichi's nauseating vertigo was no more. He opened his eyes to perhaps the oddest change in scenery he'd ever experienced.
One moment he was in a life or death struggle with his brother in a meteor storm, and in the next he found himself in a damp, dimly lit cave, surrounded on all sides by a crowd of at least fifty tiny little creatures with furry bodies and giant, inquisitive eyes.
They varied in size, though none of them came past his knee. The Pomai were Shoichi's first ever creatures he learned to summon; although they couldn't speak, they understood every word of his command and were loyal till their last. Shoichi thanked the oldest and wisest with a short bow as the younglings swarmed in excitable squeals around his ankles. Wading through them all without stepping on them was difficult as he made his way towards the cave opening.
Sunlight poured through the mouth of the cavern. Shoichi hopped up to the exit and surveyed the landscape, finding himself on the slope of an incredibly large mountain with nothing but forest and savannah for as far as the eye could see. He'd been here before; this was three days north of the Land of Earth, right on the very fringe of the ninja world. He couldn't risk seeing his friends; he couldn't even risk going back to the Cloud – back to his home.
Shoichi released a sigh and began to put one foot in front of the other, trying to figure out what the hell he should do next.
Seventeen Years Later
"It was you." Shoryu realised with a start. Everything made sense now – more pieces of the puzzle slotted into place. "My first ever mission; protecting Kyoh's egg. We had an anonymous client – he never came to the village, but he posted up that same mission once every year. Reizo-sensei said he'd done it too. That client. . .It was you all along. You gave me my first mission."
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Author's Notes: Damn, finally! Did so many drafts of this chapter you wouldn't believe it, but at least now we can get back to the main story and catch up with Shoryu.
So yeah, this is how the dragon egg came into Shoryu's hands. After he was left with it Shoichi turned it into a mission, posted anonymously from outside the village, and the process was repeated every year until it finally hatched in Shoryu's possession. This chapter also answers a couple of questions. For one we see Shoichi take off his jacket (the one Shoryu wears) and leave it on a rock. I imagine that was the only thing the Cloud ninja ever found from him, so they gave it back to his widow. Also a few chapters ago Free mentioned that dragons guarded the entrance to Magnus Sanctum - now we know why.
Also just to clear this up, the Manda we saw in this chapter is not the same one we saw in Naruto already, it's just a descendant. They just happen to share the same name. The only real difference between them is that this new one is much smaller and has a slightly different colour scheme.