Chapter 40: The New Recruit
A tap of Shoichi's heel was all it took to send the crocodile racing forward. Syrak's tail waved a muscular oar as his legs pedalled through the water like it was air. Faced with the incoming reptile and the ninja above it Yasu skimmed the surface of the water in retreat, finding as Syrak passed her by that the rider had mysteriously vanished.
"Wind Style: Squall Fang Jutsu!"
Like a diving bird of prey Shoichi descended from above. His fingers clasped to a final seal with a hurricane raging from his aim. Yasu brought up an arm. A few hand signs and a simple water barrier kept the attack at bay, the collateral rolling up waves to break more evergreens under the weight of their oceanic battlefield.
Yasu smiled as the ninja resumed his fall; with his summon twenty yards away Shoichi plummeted towards his opponent, oblivious to the chakra-infused sea that would deny him any foothold. Once in arm's reach the ninja flared out a shuriken. Yasu met his attack with her own curved blade; a serrated edge dripping with water.
Steel clashed and sparks leapt to the pool. A puff of smoke made Yasu see her mistake; this Shoichi was a simple shadow clone, bursting out of existence with too hard a strike. Instead the real one approached from her flank, hopping over shin-high geysers courtesy of Yuudai as his stepping stones to reach her.
Another bloom of smoke saw the long dark blade in Shoichi's grasp. He met her in force, slashing out with a series of two-handed moves to force his sister on the defence. Swarmed by blades from Shoichi, Yasu blinded herself to the gator's enormous yawning mouth until its shadow formed at her feet.
"Water Style: Ascending Twister!"
Balance and control was everything when fighting alongside water users. Shoichi found himself struggling to stay upright, directing all concentration to his feet as a spiralling fountain of water shot him into the air. Yuudai intervened with a well-aimed jutsu; as Shoichi was hurled to the skies for safety Syrak clamped his jaws upon the enemy ninja and dragged her beneath the waves.
From his falling height above the trees Shoichi struggled to see what happened. Waves thrashed about their diving spot and bubbles married a helping of blood to give them a haunting effect. Only the vague shape of Syrak's body was visible underwater; Shoichi cringed as he span into a death-roll, keeping her away from the surface for as long as he could whilst simultaneously trying to shear her in two.
With his summon occupied though, all Shoichi could do was fall. He closed his eyes as the waves rose up to consume him, hitting the water with a sting behind his thighs before a clutch upon his wrist nearly yanked his arm out of place. Yuudai caught him perfectly; by the hand he dragged the older man around on his surfing jutsu, submerged underwater from the waist down.
It was then that Shoichi noticed something he suspected all along. The feeling from his legs was unmistakeable; he'd come across jutsu with similar effects. Yasu's water drained him of chakra by the second. Every moment he spent beneath the tide only gave her more and more energy.
Fortunately his luck changed when his sister re-emerged in a tsunami, her right side mauled by the serrated, arm-long fangs of the loyal crocodile. Syrak himself also resurfaced, having escaped the exchange with nothing more than a broken tooth.
Wasting no time, Yuudai used all his strength to fling Shoichi up and out of the water, aiming the ninja before him like a cannonball. From there three hand signs and a slap to the waves sent the older man flying. More seals from Yuudai followed as Shoichi flew through the air.
"Water Style: Multi-Water Shot!"
As Yasu raised her defences a firework of meandering water bullets swerved around her approaching brother. All at once they struck her shield, with at least five punching through the waves to shoot stinging holes into her flesh. Shoichi landed with an overhand slash, swinging the great katana like a baseball bat. A single dose of chakra gave the blade a mantle of wind.
In her pain the kunoichi made a dodge too late. Her knife snapped up, feeble and slow, but it saved her from being cleaved in two.
Instead Shoichi's sword cut through her weapon. A fountain of water chakra burst from the broken steel as Yasu tumbled back to the undertow, disappearing from sight just in time for Syrak to intervene and keep the falling summoner afloat.
The gator swam in rings around the pool, mirroring Yuudai's casual surfing in the opposite direction.
"Don't get careless!" said Shoichi. "This fight is ours if we keep our heads."
Just as Yuudai looked about to give a reply the enemy attack cut him off. Like a jumping dolphin Yasu pounced out of the water, trapping the boy with a grip around his neck as she speared him under the water.
"Yuudai!" said Shoichi. The ninja dropped to his knees and observed the water for any signs. Yasu got smart; Shoichi couldn't fight here without Yuudai, and the young Chunin was easy prey compared to her older brother. Bubbles trailed a path away from them, and for a moment Shoichi feared the worst before they splashed back to the surface.
Even then Yuudai's situation didn't improve. With her hand still clasped to his throat Yasu slammed him into a nearby tree. Water spluttered from his lips in convulsing heaves, and with his lungs in shock he could do nothing but drown as she resumed her attack.
"Water Style: Hydro Cannon Jutsu!"
A column of water to his chest sent Yuudai crashing through the tree – and the one after it. At point-blank range the high-powered jet broke ribs, flattened lungs and drew blood from the scalding red mark it left on his sternum. Adding that to the splintering pines slashing apart his back and Yuudai looked out for the count; he skimmed the water like a stone before grinding to a halt upon the waves and sinking out of sight.
Skipping across, Yasu closed on his location. She ducked into a dive after the boy, realising all too late that in her eagerness to finish the job she'd turned her back on Shoichi. The shuriken seared across her hip like a hot knife, wind chakra making sure her wound went deeper than it ought to. A scream followed and then a glare at her older brother. Then she dove.
Oblivious to the energy-sucking water, Shoichi knelt and took hold of two hand-sized ridges down Syrak's spine. He couldn't let the boy die; Shoryu would resent him forever if he did.
"Syrak, after her!"
"Understood."
With jaws open wide the reptile ducked to a dive as Shoichi found himself completely submerged in muscular aches. Right away he felt sleepy and weak, redoubling his grip on Syrak's bones with the huge volume of water resistance constantly trying to throw him off. Deeper and deeper the crocodile dived; Shoichi's ears blared from the pressure.
Trying to see ahead was a mistake too. In the split-second his eyelids opened the chlorinated water seeped into his sockets like lava, forcing a snarl of pain out of him before he shut them once more; he'd have to trust Syrak for this one.
Fortunately the gator came through. Beneath his feet Shoichi felt the summon's jaws clamp down on something. A few shakes and hard knocks indicated a fight. Shoichi kept his sword at the ready in case anything came too close. With a swift turn that almost threw him off Syrak was on his way up again, his jagged tail like a spiked, flapping rudder to keep any pursuers at bay.
As they returned to the light and the dry Shoichi was already throwing out hand signs. A lick of chakra onto his windmill shuriken saw the four-pointed star spinning above him as a rotary fan, drying off the residue of Yasu's draining technique as Shoichi rushed over to Syrak's open mouth.
Atop the creature's tongue with a surrounding garden of teeth lay Yuudai, flat out cold without the slightest flutter of breath. Shoichi grabbed the young man by the scruff of his collar, slung him up onto Syrak's back and followed up with a crushing right hand to his spine.
It was a harsh, but very effective method of treatment for victims of the water style. Yuudai immediately coughed back to life with a splutter of water choking from his lungs, Shoichi's punch driving him to the floor.
"You okay kid?" Shoichi asked, sparing no time to explain just how close he'd come to death. "You were down there a while. Tag out if you need to."
"Ugh. . ." After a second or two on his stomach to catch his breath Yuudai pulled himself back together. Yasu's chakra draining liquid did a number on his energy reserves, but Yuudai was always known for his endless supply; all of his jutsu relied on precise and efficient control.
"I'll be fine, let's just get this over with."
Yasu looked to have the same idea. Shadows of her shape and size began to grown beneath the deep blue hue of the augmented sea. Either she was preparing to launch an attack or luring them back under the water. Shoichi decided it was better to act first.
"Yuudai, do you have anything that can let us fight under there?"
The teen's devilish grin answered the question before he spoke. "Can't say I have a specific jutsu for it, but I should be able to rustle something up."
"Then do it now; we need to beat her at her own game if we want to get rid of this thing. Syrak, you wait up here. Watch our backs and jump in if things get too rough."
A thrum from the gator's throat assured them he understood as Yuudai cast five hand signs and placed a hand on Shoichi's arm.
"Water Style: Mobile Water Prison Jutsu!"
As a sphere of water closed shut around him Shoichi wondered whether he'd been double-crossed. He held his breath when he realised what was happening, but a squirt still managed to find its way up his nose. Struggling for air, Shoichi was about to act before Yuudai threw another seal at his dome-shaped prison.
"Oxygenate!"
At once the sphere hollowed out, making it little more than a self-sustaining bubble of air that stuck to Shoichi's crown and soles. Extending his arms allowed him to put his hand right through it; he could even slash his sword through the tissue-thin membrane without breaking the bubble.
"Oh wow, this is perfect," Shoichi marvelled, stretching it as far as it would go. "Look at this thing! How did you come up with this!? You know what? I changed my mind. Wait here – I should be able to take care of this by myself. She's going down!"
With a half-concealed grin Yuudai spared a mocking glance to Shoryu, still recovering from his self-inflicted voltage. The moment Shoichi disappeared beneath the waves Yuudai burst out laughing; the older man's rant echoed the words of his son. He had heard Shoryu use the exact same phrases time and time again.
Shoichi was gone for a whole half a minute. Below the water the silhouettes danced as he darted from place to place hacking through Yasu's endless legion of Water Clones. It took him twenty seconds to get bored of that and try something new. Sinking to the bottom, Shoichi's last ten seconds were spent casting hand signs for some jutsu.
Between the distorted, echoing warbles the words 'Wind Style' were the only two that were audible. Whatever it was, the technique fired up and out; a straight, rising blade of wind like a sword that split Yasu's pool right down the centre.
As the shortening waves bowed away from him in two distinct halves Shoichi remained still on the forest floor. With the water separated completely – if only for a brief moment – the whole jutsu fell apart. Waves cascaded into the distance until the soaked pines and muddy puddles were all that remained. Yuudai was already celebrating as the enemy Senmatsu prepared herself for a counter.
"It's over Yasu," said Shoichi. "Come along quietly."
"Over?" echoed Yasu. The truth of her words rang clearer as every inactive ninja from the treetops suddenly dropped back to the surface. From Hotaru's back even Shoryu found his feet again. He was hardly a threatening sight, but it was one more shinobi against the lone enemy.
"Over?" she repeated again. "You think this is OVER?"
"Don't make this harder than it has to be," her brother advised. He wouldn't say it again.
As Yasu began to cast hand signs a host of fingers reached for shuriken and stretched into seals of their own. Shoichi stopped his group with a halting palm; this was clearly a desperation tactic – a last ditch technique when no other option remained.
"We need her alive," he reminded them. "Let her carry on. She won't have any chakra left after this."
"That's what I'm afraid of," muttered Shoryu, his leg still shaking.
"Water Style!" In place of a hand sign Yasu threw her arms above her head, like an act of worship for some god amongst the clouds. Instead, all the water that she'd drained from the ground returned to her in an instant, rising and rising as she poured every last shred of chakra into the jutsu.
In a matter of seconds she'd formed a static tidal wave, gushing as the backdrop of a waterfall behind her. Starting at twenty feet in height it grew by the gallons until it dwarfed every tree in for miles around. At well over a hundred metres the technique was finally ready, raging and frothing with a soapy white foam like a ravenous dog preparing for a feast.
"Mizukami!"
At once the invisible dam behind Yasu broke. The ninja herself soared through the arc of the wave as the great tsunami took flight, ripping apart whatever trees and vegetation happened to be in its mile-wide warpath. Making shapes with his fingers, Shoichi formed a reaction.
"Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashomon!"
Three clouds of mist and dust bloomed to life this time, each a towering rectangle reaching the sky in a single-file domino formation. Immediately the summoned objects blocked all sight of the wave. Instead Shoryu and the others suddenly found themselves staring at the last colossal wall between them and the Senmatsu, trimmed in cobalt spines with its stone centre in the visage of a fanged, smiling demon.
Before the ninja could question its existence the sound of the wave hitting the first wall could be heard. Yasu's jutsu smashed apart the concrete, an immovable avalanche of rolling waves with the spears of countless trees at its head.
Again the sound became a running channel of water. Looking around, it took even the most alert of the ninja to notice Yuudai and Shoichi were gone until they were halfway up the blue wall.
As the ground began to shake the thunderous crash came again. Sprays of water hitting the rock reminded Shoryu of the beach; the second Rashomon held back the initial impact before the full weight of the wave came rushing along and broke it down.
Clambering up the curved slate of the roof, Shoichi took his place at the top of the last barrier; their final blockade against the storm and the highest point on the battlefield. Yuudai joined him within seconds.
"She'll be right at the centre, floating on top," said Shoichi. "Manipulating that much chakra; water users like to find safe place while they're using those kinds of big jutsu – helps them keep a steady outflow."
"I know. I'm a water user," Yuudai replied.
"Oh." The older man cocked his head, deliberating for a few moments before merely shrugging his shoulders. "Noted."
Yuudai had scarcely said a word before he disappeared down the other side, scaling a small portion of the wall in dramatic falls to get himself level with the incoming torrent.
Shoichi watched as the youngster threw himself at the lip of the wave, screaming like a lunatic. With his legs bent at shoulder width he looked poised to mount a surfboard. No such instrument was visible when Yuudai leapt at the wave, and yet still he zipped against the roar of the incoming rapids, bouncing against the monstrous current until he was a good distance from the blue Rashomon.
Where its predecessors smashed the last barrier held strong. The first was designed to take the attack head on; the second was to reduce the overall pressure and the third to disperse that pressure. All at once a great spray of water reflected to the skies, bouncing from the sneer of the unnerving demon painted on the wall. They became fireworks behind Yuudai, painting the air with rainbows wherever they soared too high.
Yuudai rocked and raced against the mountainous tide until his mark came into view. With her hands still fixed in a seal and her eyes tightly shut the kunoichi mumbled a mantra to herself over and over again – something to help her concentrate during the huge amount of chakra expense her technique required. By positioning herself atop the heart of her tsunami the size of ten sports pitches Yasu reckoned herself safe from any would-be attackers facing the wave head-on.
A flying kick straight to the gut proved her wrong. Yuudai soared, using the curve of a wave as a ramp and spinning into position for the perfect connection.
This time Yasu was the skipping stone. As the spray from the wall slowly began to reduce her jutsu she toppled across the water like a flat shard of slate. In her endless cycle of flips and barrel-rolls she never saw Shoichi, taking off like a majestic falcon from the edge of the roof with sword in hand. He eclipsed the sun for half a moment before plunging into free fall.
Good aim with a shuriken was one thing – it was a trait Shoichi and his son both shared – but aiming one's own body was an entirely different skill. The ninja's precision was pinpoint; he descended on his moving target like an arrow, driving the length of his katana right through Yasu's shoulder to splash an everlasting current of gore into the water at their feet.
With Yasu's focus on the blade in her arm the waves vanished even faster, dispersing like violent rain across the woods the ninja had called camp. Even the chakra-draining effect was gone; Shoichi could simply keep his arm on his sword and ride the sea level down until his sandals finally hit the ground.
When Shoryu and his friends scarpered around the corner of his demonic wall the ninja couldn't help but snigger, knowing how cool he must have looked to his young son.
Yasu's controlled hiss of pain suddenly turned to a snarl, reminding Shoichi that he still had work to do. From his tool pouch the man retrieved a short length of rope, yellow and bristled with a metal wire protruding from each end. He lashed his sister to the nearest broken stump of tree before daring to remove his sword. Blood fountained from the exit wound as he jerked the metal free. By then she was too weak to fight back.
"This stuff here is called jamming rope, they made it over in the Hidden Stone a few years back," Shoichi explained. "Blocks off all chakra inhibitors so anyone caught in it can't use their jutsu."
"Sounds useful," said Shoryu. Their only targets being the suicidal clones for the last few years meant that capturing people alive was never a priority in the war; Reizo never even covered it.
"It is. . ." The older man rounded on Yasu, meeting her eyes with a hard stare that told no lies. "So, this is how things are going to go down: You can tell me where Teijo is, then I'll untie you – honestly I don't care where you go from there, you're no threat to us anymore."
Shoryu was about to but in. Yasu was a threat – way too serious a risk to let loose on the world. But as his mouth began to move he realised his father's plan. He'd already beaten her in battle; now he was trying to convey how little she mattered in the grand scheme of things – to make her see how pointless it was to oppose them so that she'd never think of trying it again.
"Or I can leave you here tied up to this tree stump and we can just hang out until you bleed out. I don't even have to torture you, I can just wait. I'd say you've got maybe an hour or so before that wound seriously needs patching up. You know that as well as I do."
Yasu merely scowled at him, scoffing in disgust. "You sit there and offer me options, on the same side as her?" she spat, motioning to Ayako. "Cut me loose Shoichi – as your sister let me get the revenge I am owed."
"I told you that Teijo killed your daughter!" Ayako snapped. The second kunoichi marched up to their captor, clearly sick of all the ignorant charges. "Wake up lady! I didn't talk to some bouncing, bubbly twenty-something girl on that battlefield; I spoke to a sick man hijacking her body."
"Teijo would never-"
"-Listen to yourself Yasu: 'Teijo would never'?" said Shoichi. "Since when? When was he anything other than a twisted, poorly adjusted sadist? You defend him blindly because he's your twin brother; you think that acknowledging anything wrong with him reflects badly upon you!"
Yasu recoiled, speechless. Perhaps it was because of Shoichi's sudden mocking of her or because he spoke the spoke the truth – Shoryu couldn't tell.
"But that's not the case!" his father pleaded. "You know it's only same-sex twins that are genetically identical right!? You and him are no different than any other siblings! Come on Yasu, everyone in the family knew of this scheme – only you were kept out of the loop. They used her like they're using you." Shoichi was almost desperate now, pacing back and forth as he struggled for the right combination of words to make his sister see sense.
But Yasu remained as stubborn as every Senmatsu they'd encountered. The woman turned her head and snorted, "Even if that's true it doesn't change a thing. I won't turn my back on my family – telling you anything would waste years of hard work."
"It doesn't change a thing?" Shoichi asked, furious now. "He killed your only child Yasu, how does that not change a thing!? Just tell us where he is and we'll get you your revenge!"
The kunoichi held her silence. Even when her brother's words became undeniably true her loyalty to the Senmatsu stayed; getting more information from her would prove difficult.
Shoichi was so engaged in his argument that he failed to notice the newcomer arriving. The young, mute clone known as Free squelched his way through the nearest clearing and into sight, immediately sparking off new conversation from Shoryu and friends. The commander uttered a few words to the boy before Free strode up to Shoichi and cast hand signs.
The older man found his mind being invaded by a sudden, crippling pain. By the time his fingers reached his sword though the agony was over, replaced instead by a prepubescent voice echoing around his head.
Let me take a run at her, he said quietly. I believe I can get the information you seek.
Shoichi met the boy's stare for a moment, cautious of his father's rebellious creation. In the end he surrendered his sister to Free with a wave of his hand. She wasn't in any hurry to talk; perhaps he could loosen her tongue if nothing else.
As Free approached her he was already weaving together a complex array of seals. They watched him for a time as he harnessed his chakra, fingers stretching to all the correct positions for the kind of mind-invading jutsu he excelled at.
Once his last hand sign was formed Free planted the palm of his hand on Yasu's forehead, gripping it tight like an exorcist trying to banish a demon as he shut his eyes and called out its name.
Ninja Art: Neuro-Relay Jutsu.
The effect lasted but a few seconds. Yasu seized under his hold for a time before sagging to the floor, exhausted and drained from trying to fight the jutsu too hard. Free turned to the others.
He's in the Land of Wind, sixteen miles southwest into a region known as the 'Forlorn Dunes'.
"The Forlorn Dunes eh?" relayed Shoichi, meeting his sister with a knowing grin. He knew the place. "Yes. . . That would be ideal for him. The Hidden Sand abandoned that place once the war broke out – brigands took over the whole region while the ninja were away fighting."
There are no brigands there anymore, Free assured them.
"What? How? When? You little wretch! What did you do to me!? How is it that you came across that name?"
Since she was left out of his telepathic jutsu Free could form no retort to satisfy her curiosity. Still, his calm stroll away from her only infuriated Yasu more, and it was that very same anger that told Shoichi this was no trick. There were tears in her eyes; she fought against the rope like a wild animal in her attempt to get at the young clone, scratching only the bark of the tree in her rage.
Commander, said Free, turning to Shoryu. He sought no acknowledgement for the countless hours and effort he'd just saved them by getting Teijo's whereabouts; he only carried on delivering his report like the dutiful soldier he was. I led the ninja to the outskirts of the woods as you instructed. When I couldn't find Yuudai I figured he was already fighting, so I came back to see if you needed assistance. He looked around at the broken marshland that enclosed them. Clearly I was mistaken.
Smiling, Shoryu abandoned his hunch to draw himself up to full height. "You keep surprising us again and again, thank you."
It was my pleasure, Free insisted.
"It looks like we have a new destination guys. We'll head back to the Cloud to gather our forces and request permission for a full-scale assault against whatever stronghold Teijo is keeping in the Forlorn Dunes." When no one disagreed Shoryu turned his attention again to the young clone. "I know I promised you your freedom after this mission – and that's still an offer you can take up – but I get the feeling you're as invested in this as any of us. We'll need only the strongest ninja for this mission; you definitely qualify on that front. So how about it Free?"
Free didn't even take a moment to think before his head began to nod of its own accord. The youngster was determined to release every last clone from the clutches of the Senmatsu – Shoryu could see it in his eyes.
Of course. Teijo will pay for what he did to my people. I will join you on your mission to bring him down.
Nods and mutterings of agreement followed as the ninja welcomed a new squad member.
I only have the one request, he asked, bashfully shuffling his feet as he loathed to ask for anything else. Shoryu on the other hand didn't seem to mind.
"Ask away."
I am trying as best as I can to fit in around here. I want to be a part of this society, but there are still things I have yet to experience – things that make you humans such a resilient group.
"Spit it out Free," Shoryu laughed. "As long as it's in my power you can have it – don't be shy."
I never had a home – well, not a true one anyway. I want to know what it's like to have a place to return to; a home worth protecting. You all share this. It binds you together – makes you stronger as ninja.
Nervous glances passed around the group; was Free really asking what they thought he was asking? It sounded like a risk even despite Free's sincerity; a clone living in the Cloud? What would Reizo make of it? The boy's words sparked looks of unease from ninja to ninja.
Only Shoryu didn't flinch; in fact he looked as if he'd been expecting that very speech. Wincing as he stretched his wounds, the ninja moved his hands to his forehead protector as his fingers unwound the familiar knot around the fabric. "Since I became a Jonin I haven't had the chance to do this yet," he noted.
White and steel grey, the ancient symbol of shinobi of the Land of Lightning clattered into Shoryu's hands. After eyeing it up with a nostalgic gaze he handed it to the clone, the young boy who could only marvel in awe at the simple garment.
"They'll make you fill out some forms and take a few easy tests when we get back, but for all intents and purposes congratulations! You're now what we call a 'Genin' of the Village Hidden in the Cloud."
Thank you commander. I will make sure you are not mistaken in your judgement of me, said Free.
Shoryu nodded before spinning round to address the group. "Alright, great work everyone! Yuudai, that was pretty sick. I'm putting your name in for promotion."
"All in a day's work Shoryu."
"You guys go and meet with the others, ensure them everything's under control and that we'll just have to relocate for tonight - we leave first thing in the morning. Leave Yasu to my father and I; you guys take the rest of the afternoon off."
As Shoryu and Shoichi remained the group headed off. Those around him gave their thanks and temporary farewells; Ayako even skipped over to give her new boyfriend a peck on the cheek before leaving.
The enemy Senmatsu fell to silence as Shoichi took his son to one side. At twenty feet away he lowered his voice to a whisper, if only to make sure Yasu couldn't hear them.
"I'm not trying to step on your toes here, believe me. I'm just wondering about that clone," said Shoichi.
Shoryu nodded, fingering his newly formed stubble with a thoughtful gaze. Then, "You don't think I should've granted him sanctuary."
"It's not that. I don't know him. Look, I'm sure he's a real nice guy and all, but you have to consider the possibility-"
"-That he's actually a spy for the Senmatsu?" Shoryu met his father's eyes as he took every word right out of his mouth. "That all his actions until now have just been a ploy to get close to me? That his whole episode with Yasu just now was a ruse the two of them planned beforehand so they can lead us into a deadly trap a thousand miles away from home? Those kinds of possibilities?"
Shoichi looked impressed.
"Believe me, I've considered it time and time again, but Free has been given countless opportunities to sabotage our mission. If he wanted to kill me he could've done it any number of times," Shoryu reasoned. "Now look at the alternative. Assuming he's legit, that means we could soon be looking at even more allies. Once Teijo goes down he's the only one that can reach out to them – if we have one of them on our side we can make them see we're not their enemies."
Shoichi thought it over for a minute, weighing in the pros and cons of each argument. "Even if someday we manage to kill my father his clones won't go away; they're independent of his will. When that day comes I imagine we'll have to accommodate them in our world somehow. If it isn't handled properly then it could just lead to another war – this boy could help us with that. So do you trust him?"
"Yes." Shoryu's answer was immediate.
"Then I'll leave it to your judgement. In the meantime. . ." With the matter settled Shoichi turned his attention to his sister, still bleeding out against the shattered spine of a tree.
Yasu regarded him with a quiet glare as the man flipped open a shuriken. She would say no more today. Shoichi and Ayako's words gave her much to think about; even with a sharpened blade in her face the kunoichi held her silence. Her expression showed momentary surprise as Shoichi opted not to take her life. Instead his hand snaked around to the bindings on her wrists, severing them with a flick of the shuriken.
"Go. You can carry on with your revenge, you can go back to the family or you can disappear - it's your choice. Either way, the next time I see you fighting on the wrong side I'll kill you."
Still saying nothing, Yasu slowly managed to find her feet and headed off, swaying in the direction of the village they came from. Whether she'd make it there without dying of blood loss was another question, but Shoichi put his sister out of his mind for now; her stupidity only made him angry every time he thought about it.
"Thanks for that," he said. "I know you were probably supposed to bring her in."
Shoryu shook his head. "Yasu Senmatsu is a high-profile target. I was supposed to kill her the moment I saw her."
"You won't get in trouble?"
"Nah. No one you saw is about to rat me out. Besides, I'm not in the business of asking people to kill their siblings – that stuff is way too heavy for me."
.
Author's Notes: Alright so we've got a new destination at least, with our clone friend being made into an honorary Cloud graduate.
Honestly don't have much more to say on this chapter. Not sure if we're ever going to see Yasu again, she's one of those that I can just sort of leave in ambiguity and only bring back if I really need to. I imagine after this she finds some way to rebel against the family in her own way, just whether or not we'll actually see that is another question entirely.
Shoryu and Shoichi seem to have found an understanding I guess, but beyond that there was no major character development in this chapter, and Kazuya's still absent following his recent tragedy. He'll be back next time.