A/N: Hi guys, The Vaudevillain Veteran here, I finally bring all my readers the third chapter of my story. I sincerely hope you all enjoy it and please feel free to leave a review as they are always welcome. Anyway please enjoy the story!
The sound of footsteps was the only audible noise as Izuna Uchiha and Princess Pina Co Lada walked towards the room where the green men were waiting for them. Pina tried to catch quick glances at Izuna while he didn't notice to try and read his thoughts. It was subtle, but he was less than happy about the green men being here. Were he and the green men not on good terms she thought to herself?
"Lady Pina. The green men are right behind that door." One of the handmaidens accompanying Pina and Izuna announced. Pina let out a soft sigh, mentally preparing herself for what could happen next, and then opened the door.
One of the green men was sitting there next to those girls from earlier. If memory served Izuna right their names were Rory, Tuka and the blue haired one her name he couldn't remember right now.
"Hello to your all. I am Yoji Itami, and represent the Japanese Self Defense Forces on their behalf." Yoji introduced himself.
The blue haired girl repeated Yoji's introduction into these people's native language.
"I see. It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Itami. I am Princess Pina Co Lada of the Empire. What brings you here if I may ask?" Pina stated.
"We simply wish to assure the natives of your world we mean no harm and actually wish to create an alliance with you." Yoji answered, with Lelei translating for him.
"An alliance? I would be very interested in such an alliance." Pina happily answered, with Izuna translating for her. Izuna however was not buying the JSDF wanting to create an alliance.
"Why are you truly here Itami, don't lie to me." Izuna asked Yoji.
"We come in peace I swear." Itami explained himself.
"Is that so? Then why are your friends standing outside the door?" Izuna asked Itami, who was sweating bullets now. Sighing in defeat, he finally decided to speak up.
"The JSDF views you as a person of interest Izuna. As what worries us that while you speak our language and are essentially Japanese, you are obviously not aligned to us and are viewed as too dangerous to be left unattended. Hence why the JSDF has sent me to take you back to our HQ on Alnus Hill where you will be watched 24/7." Itami calmly answered.
"Watch me...24/7...? What do you think I am!? Some kind of exotic animal for you to keep notes on!?" Izuna angrily asked Itami as he activated his Sharingan.
"Izuna please calm down! The green men have very powerful weapons on their side and will definitely wage war against us if we harm one of their own! Please think about that! You cannot take them head on! That is suicide!" Pina tried to warn Izuna.
"Stand down now and hold you hands up where we can see them!" One of the green men ordered Izuna as they burst into their room with their assault rifles directed at his head.
"Tell me Itami...you and your green men. Do you feel in charge?" Izuna asked them with a smirk.
"What do you mean do we feel in charge?" The one soldier asked.
"Yes. Did you forget about the weapons we possess. We could rain hell on all of you if we so wished." The other soldier added.
"You really think so? Alright then, I dare to use that pea shooter on me." Izuna taunted the solider.
The soldier at first seemed hesitant, which irritated Izuna. To provoke the soldiers Izuna threw a kunai at them, and both the soldiers immediately fired upon Izuna.
Izuna's body was barraged by multiple bullets in his abdomen.
"You...killed him!" Pina cried out.
"That bastard brought it upon himself." The one soldier retorted.
To everyone's shock Izuna's body disappeared in a puff of smoke, and was instead replaced by a bullet ridden log.
"What!"
"Pathetic..." Izuna muttered out as he sliced the JSDF soldier's head clean off his body. Before the next soldier could even shoot Izuna said Uchiha sliced his gun clean in half with his katana.
"What...are you?" The soldier asked in horror as he looked at his now destroyed assault rifle and then at Izuna. The solider reacted quickly and tried to take out his knife to attack Izuna, only except Izuna was one step ahead of him by snapping the soldier's neck, killing him instantly.
"Your worst nightmare. Now I ask again, do you still feel in charge?" Izuna asked them again.
"N-no!" Itami stammered out.
"Good. I am glad we got that point across." Izuna stated as he sat back down again.
Pina's mind: (Amazing. He made those green men looked like pushovers.)
Rory and Teka on the other hand were still horrified at how Izuna killed a man in cold blood.
"You...you're a...murderer!" Tuka stammered out as she pointed an accusing finger at him.
"I was only acting in self defense blondie. And also to show these green men that they cannot tell others to do as they so please." Izuna nonchalantly replied.
"You! Itami was it? Get out of my sight this instant unless you want to end up like your buddies over here." Izuna told.
"A-absolutely!" Yoji muttered out as he practically ran out of the room. Rory, Teka and Lelei however remained in the room. Whether this was as a sign of defiance to Izuna or because they still underestimated how dangerous he could be Izuna did not know.
"Any particular reason why you three are still here?" Izuna asked in an annoyed tone.
"Because We're not scared of you monster." Rory said in defiance.
"Lady Pina! Please! The Green men mean no harm! They really do want peace with us!" Tuka spoke up. Izuna shot a death glare at Tuka which bored into her soul. Izuna's death glare was so powerful that she felt too terrified to speak any further.
"Pina! Do not trust this man! His intentions are selfish and he is just another Zorzal in the making!" Rory added.
Hamilton now stood up, and the aura in the room changed to that of silent fury.
"Listen here...I don't care if you are an Emroy apostle, but you do not ever, ever compare Izuna to that monster. Especially since if it were not for him many citizens would have lost their lives to the bandits that had invaded Italica earlier today." Hamilton firmly told Rory.
"What? Izuna defended Italica? Why would he do such?" Rory asked in genuine confusion.
"Because I know that Izuna is good person deep down." Hamilton answered.
"Rory, Tuka, do not worry. I can assure you that Izuna means no harm for earlier today he singly handedly defeated all the bandits that tried to invade Italica." Pina said in an attempt to assure Rory.
Rory however was not buying said story, Tuka currently looked too afraid to speak any further and was zealously avoiding Izuna's eye contact and Leila looked cool as a cucumber.
"Are you done yet?" Izuna impatiently asked the trio.
Rory looked as though she wanted to snap back with a snarky reply, but in the chose to not do so as she, Tuka and Lelei exited the door.
"I see through your façade red eyed warrior. You may have been able to deceive Pina but your act doesn't fool me one bit." Rory commented just before exiting the room.
Pina sighed softly, she was uncertain whether she made the wrong decision by siding with Izuna but since Izuna took out those green men with relative ease that made her realise that allying with him was not a waste. Unfortunately though she knew word of Izuna slaying two green men would reach their superiors, and they would no doubt be furious and wanting revenge. What also did not help was that there was still the bandit threat to deal with and of course the Emroy who had a strong dislike for Izuna
Pina rubbed her temples, everything was just so overwhelming right to her right now.
"Lady Pina, are you alright?" Hamilton asked her friend in concern.
"I am fine Hamilton. Just a little stressed. I fear we may have made a grave mistake." Pina admitted.
"Why do you think so?" Hamilton asked her.
"That Emroy apostle from earlier...she had made it rather evident that she does not like Izuna. And with Izuna killing two of the green men's soldiers, we may have unintentionally made unnecessary enemies." Pina revealed.
"Pina." Izuna called out.
"Yes Izuna? What is the matter?" Pina asked him.
"Who is this 'Zorzal' person that Rory speaks of?" Izuna asked her.
Pina's eyes widened in shock for a brief moment before they went back to normal.
"Zorzal...is my estranged brother to put it nicely. He is the Crown Prince of the Empire and is a very cruel and sadistic individual. He is also a serial rapist and has forcibly enslaves the women of the kingdoms he conquers, most notable being Tyuule the former Queen of the Warrior Bunnies." Pina explained.
Izuna listened attentively to Pina's explanation.
Izuna's mind: (This Zorzal individual certainly sounds like an interesting one. Perhaps if I align with him that I can find a way back home quicker. Hmm but I will admit taking defenseless women as sex slaves is a rather dishonourable act to commit.)
"This Zorzal person sounds like nothing but a coward to me. Any one who takes defenseless women as slaves does not deserve neither honour nor an honourable death." Izuna flatly said to Pina.
Pina and Hamilton smiled at Izuna's reply. It greatly relieved them that Izuna too knew how terrible of a person Zorzal is.
"Thank you Izuna. On behalf of the good people of the Empire and myself we thank you immensely for supporting the side of justice.
"You're most welcome Pina." Izuna simply answered.
Pina facepalmed suddenly, which surprised Izuna.
"Pina. What's wrong?" Izuna asked her.
"How could I forget? You are an honourable guest of Italica and yet I have not even given you a tour of the mansion nor explained the socio economic history of Italica. Come with me! It is the least I could do for you Izuna." Pina said in an excited tone. Pina practically dragged Izuna throughout the mansion, explaining to him in great detail the history of Italica and the various painting depicting important historical events and battles of the city. Izuna again listened attentively to Pina's mini history lesson, and one hour later they were finally done with their tour.
"So what do you think Izuna. Italica's history is certainly impressive huh?" Hamilton asked Izuna.
"It is certainly interesting." Izuna replied.
"Thank you Izuna. Since you helped me defend Italica and had kept your word I shall keep mine. Dinner shall be starting soon and I can assure you that you shall eat only the finest dishes that Italica has to offer" Pina answered.
Izuna merely nodded in agreement. At first he couldn't care less about this world but the more he though about becoming a powerful figure in this world, the more it made him realize that if most of the inhabitants of this world were simply no match for him then this world would be easy pickings for the Uchiha clan.
Izuna's mind: (Oh father...if only you were still alive to see what I am going to accomplish for our great clan.)
Evening soon arrived and Izuna, along with Pina and Hamilton were escorted to the lavish dining room of the Grand Mansion of Italica. At first Izuna was perplexed at the peculiar metal objects aside his dinner plate.
"What are these for?" Izuna asked he picked up the utensils, trying to figure out how they worked.
"That's a knife and fork Izuna. You use the knife to cut your food into bite sized pieces and your fork to hold your food in place so that you may cut your food up easily. Then you use the fork to pick up your food and eat it." Hamilton happily explained.
"I see. Would you care to show me a demonstration of how to use said knife and fork Hamilton?" Izuna politely asked.
"Absolutely!" Hamilton cheerfully exclaimed as she gave Izuna a demonstration on how to use the knife and fork. While she did so Izuna activated his Sharingan to perfectly copy and learn how Hamilton used the utensils.
When she was done with the demonstration Izuna offered a simple thank you, with Hamilton assuring Izuna it was no problem.
However accross the table a certain individual were keenly watching how Izuna had magically turned his eyes red then back to normal at will.
Grey's mind.: (Interesting...is that some kind of magical ability he learnt? Or is it inherited?)
Soon the handmaidens had arrived with trays of foods in their hands. All the prominent members of the Rose Order of Knights, including Izuna, were handed a dish of roast turkey, potatoes and salad.
"Please enjoy your meal." The Head handmaiden said with a graceful bow as she and her fellow handmaidens exited the room. Everyone dug into their meals, and Pina noted that Izuna especially seemed to be enjoying his meal.
"This food is bland! And has no salt!" Norma complained.
"Sir Norma please the handmaidens worked very hard to prepare this lovely meal for us! If you want more salt there is some on the table." Pina scolded Norma, who grumbled under his breath as he took the salt and poured some of it over his food.
"So Izuna? What do you think of our cuisine? It's delicious huh?" Hamilton asked him.
"Yes. It is certainty good." Izuna replied in a bored tone as he continued to eat. A silent five minutes had passed and in the corner of his eye Izuna noticed that old knight was still watching him eat and had not even touched his own food. Growing tired at being watched as though he were a fugitive Izuna decided to break the metaphorical ice.
"Old man. Is there any particular reason why you are just staring at me?" Izuna asked him.
Grey Co Aldo merely narrowed his eyes, he was not afraid of this mercenary and his resolve would not be shaken by the likes of him.
"I want to know. Actually it is something I believe everyone in this room as a right to know. How do you change the colour of your eyes at will? Tell me is some type of forbidden magic, a secret ability gained by a God you follow or...is it something inhuman altogether." Grey accusingly asked Izuna.
"Sir Grey! What is the meaning of asking Izuna such a personal question?" Pina asked him.
"Lady Pina. Don't you find it very suspicious that you have explained everything about yourself and the history of Italica and yet Izuna has not even told us one thing about himself?" Grey asked Pina.
"Yes...I guess you are right...but still! We should respect Izuna's privacy! It is not our right to just demand that he tell us every single detail about his life to us." Pina argued in Izuna's favour.
"Lady Pina, with all due respect I disagree because for all we know Izuna could be a criminal from the green men's world who entered our world to avoid justice. There is too much we do not know about him, and I do not like that one bit." Grey retorted.
The entire table continued to look at Grey as though he had said something blasphemous, Hamilton wanted to speak up, but Izuna merely told her there was no need to, and if they wanted to know everything about him then he would tell them everything about himself since in his opinion, he had nothing to hide.
Izuna then cleared his throat, and for the next hour and a half proceeded to tell the Rose Order of Knights everything about himself, from his clan, to how their kekkei genkai the Sharingan worked, his clan's endless war with their eternal rivals the Senju and to his late father and brothers.
"Ok then. But that leaves one final question, how did you end up in our world since it is obvious you never came through the gate on Alnus Hill." Grey asked Izuna.
"Yeah Izuna, how did you get here? Did you use a teleportation spell?" Hamilton asked him.
"Yeah man! We gotta know!" Norma added.
Pina for the meantime chose to remain silent, as she decided she would only speak once Izuna was finished explaining himself to her and her fellow knights.
Izuna gritted his teeth, he wanted to keep his Mangekyō a secret for as long as possible as he didn't want these people knowing too much about him. Ultimately in the end he decided he would tell them about the Mangekyō Sharingan as he realised that if he did not, then they would forever be suspicious of him and may also potentially sell him out to those pesky green men.
"The Sharingan I possess has an evolution that very few know about or have. I am one of the few individuals to possess that ability.
"What is this 'evolution' of your Sharingan called?" Grey asked him, keen on knowing the answer.
"It is called the Mangekyō Sharingan." Izuna answered him as he activated his MS, which earned gasps from everyone, including Pina.
Pina's mind: (Unbelievable! His eyes changed form again! Does Izuna posses the eyes of a god?)
"The Mangekyo Sharingan is the ultimate form the Sharingan. With this it grants me far greater defensive and offensive power than before, but at the price of blindless if it is overused." Izuna explained as he deactivated his Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Amazing..." Grey muttered.
"What? That's terrible! You haven't overused it right!? Is your eyesight still good Izuna?" Hamilton asked him in concern.
"It is still very good Hamilton, you need not worry, for I have only used it twice before." Izuna explained to her.
"When was these two incidents when you used your 'Mangekyō Sharingan'?" Grey asked Izuna again.
"The first was during a battle against my clan's sworn enemies the Senju. The second..." Izuna trailed off, remembering how had it not been for his Dimesnional Shifting MS ability that he would be in a coffin six feet under instead of here.
"Is it a painful memory Izuna...?" Hamilton asked him softly.
"It is...alright. So I was accompanied my older brother Madara as he was about to sign a peace 'treaty' with the head of the Senju Hashirama. As I anticipated it was an ambush as he brought along his brother Tobriama Senju and the two of us had an intense and close battle. Ultimately I believed I had the upper hand until Tobirama threw kunai at me, which I dodged with ease. It was then that I realised something was off, as Tobirama moved at light speed, too fast for my Sharingan to see and he would have landed the fatal blow on me had I not used my Jigen Ryoko at the last second, which brought me to this world." Izuna finished.
Pina was in complete awe at Izuna's explanation. It all made sense now! Izuna was not from the green men's world but instead from an entirely different from that from the likes of it, was very similiar to her own.
"So Izuna, why not use this JIgen Ryoko ability of yours to simply go back to your world?" Grey asked Izuna.
"Because there is a six month cool off period before I can use it again, which means until then I am stuck in your world. And before you ask yes I did try to use my Jigen Ryoko to head back to my world but that only caused my eye to bleed and intense pain when I tried to do so." izuna explained.
"I see. That makes a lot of sense." Grey stated as he rubbed his chin.
Pina finally decided to speak up.
"So does that mean...once the six month cool down period has ended you'll...head back to your world?" Pina asked Izuna sadly.
"That is my end goal." Izuna stated, which made Pina and even Hamilton sigh in disappointment.
"But, in the short time I have been in this world, I have come to realize that there is much for me in this world to fight for, so I shall postpone my departure until further notice." Izuna added, giving Pina and Hamilton newfound hope that their greatest weapon of defense again both Zorzal's followers and the green men will not leave them just yet.
"Izuna...what if...what would it take for you to want to stay here forever?" Pina asked him with desperate eyes.
"It depends. Perhaps either some land, wealth or kingdom of my own should suffice." Izuna casually answered her.
"Then it is settled. If you stay with us then you shall get all of then and even more if you so please." Pina delcared without any hesitation.
"Lady Pina are you serious? Do you even hear yourself?" Grey frantically ask the princess.
"Yes I do Sir Grey. Right know Izuna is our greatest asset to ensure our dream of a peaceful world may become reality, and I shall do whatever it takes to ensure that he stays by our side." Pina answered him.
Grey gritted his teeth. Nothing he said could change Princess Pina's mind no matter what arguments he brought up. Sighing in defeat he allowed the princess to go through with her decision unopposed since she did make an undeniable point by how crucial Izuna was to them right now.
"How about this. Izuna Uchiha, would you accept my personal invitation to become the newest member of the Rose Order of Knights?" Pina offered Izuna.
"I accept your invitation Pina." Izuna said formally as he shook Pina's extended hand.
"Welcome to the Rose Order of Knights Izuna!" Pina warmly said to the indifferent Izuna, who couldn't be less bothered.
"Hmpf. If he is now an official member of the Rose Order that I believe it is only fair that Izuna join me on patrolling the city walls tonight." Grey stated.
"Alright. If that is what you want then I shall do so." Izuna replied.
"Good. Meet me at the entrance to the South Gate in twenty minutes, and don't be late." Grey said to Izuna in a harsh tone.
Twenty minutes had passed and the sun had already set below the horizon. Grey had just arrived at the South Gate to see Izuna already waiting for him there.
"How did you get here so fast?" Grey asked in disbelief.
"I am a ninja. Being on time is one of our top priorities." Izuna cooly answered.
Grey scoffed at his answer. He was a little irritated at how Izuna made him look lik a fool, again.
"Follow me." Grey ordered as he took out a large key chain and opened the gate that lead to the top of the wall.
A few silent and uneventful hours had passed as Izuna and Grey continued to patrol the walls of Italica. In the early hours of the morning a large explosion was heard in the distance, alarming both Grey and Izuna.
"Did you hear that?" Grey asked Izuna.
"Yes I did. It sounded like it came from the East gate." Izuna answered as in a blink of an eye he was gone. Izuna rushed as quickly as he could towards the east gate. To his shock he noticed that the bandits had not only began pillaging destroying everything and everyone in their path, but had also managed to successfully kill Norma, who lay dead on the ground face first with multiple spears in his back.
"Oh look another one..." One bandit said.
"It's the red eyed warrior!" Another bandit pointed out.
"Come on red eyed warrior, we're not afraid of you. We'll do to you what we did to your friend!" A third bandit declared.
Izuna activated his Sharingan and readied his katana. With almost no effort he had defeated all of the bandits around him. A few armed civilians cheer on Izuna as he slays the last bandit.
"Red Eyed Warrior! There are still bandits coming in from the South Gate! Please you must hurry!" One of the civilians cried out and without another word, Izuna was on his way towards the besieged South Gate. Arriving there he noticed a burly man holding a curved sword and from the looks of it, must've been their leader.
"You...Red Eyed Warrior!" The bandit cried out as he swung his sword towards Izuna, who dodged it with ease by in succession; ducking, kicking his sword away from him and slicing his head off. Some of the bandits looked absolutely horrified at how effortlessly Izuna killed one of their strongest members, but others were eagerly anticipating fighting him head on.
Without a single word Izuna too made quick work of the remaining bandits and by the time Pina had prepared her armour and weapons, Izuna had already almost single handedly fought off the bandit invasion.
"Do not worry about these bandits anymore Pina. For I have personally ensured that they will never attack this city again." Izuna declared as he gave Pina a cold glare. Izuna looked up at the sky, and noticed that despite it being early hours in the morning, a heavy thunderstorm was about to come very soon.
"Thank you again Izuna. Everyone in Italica is forever grateful for your assistance." Pina told the Uchiha honestly. Unfortunately before the citizens of Italica could rejoice at their red eyed warriror keeping them safe from the bandits a low sound could be heard from the distance, a sound Pina immediately recognized as-
"Oh no! It's the green men!" PIna said anxiously.
"What do they want with us?" Hamilton asked Pina.
"I am mostly certain they want revenge against us for Izuna murdering one of their own. We can only pray that they will be merciful and allow the civilians to live." Pina answered. Izuna however was unfazed and had a determined look on his face.
"If it is me they want then I will go face them alone. Pina, you and the others stay put." Izuna ordered Pina to do.
"Are you crazy? I'm not letting you go alone! I was assigned the duty to protect Italica at all costs!" Pina replied back.
Izuna gritted his teeth, why did this girl have to be so stubborn he asked himself.
"Ugh fine. You may come along with me." Izuna told Pina.
Izuna and Pina slowly walked towards the south gate of Italica, and when they did Pina ordered the guard stationed there to slowly open the gates. Bracing herself for the worst Pina mentally and physically prepared herself for any and all worst case scenarios.
As expected the green men arrived with their metal carriages and flying machines, and on the ground a few of them were just standing there, almost as if their desire was to instead negotiate with them rather than outfight conquer and enslave them.
All of the foot soldiers of the JSDF immediately point their assault rifles towards Izuna, but their generals signals for them to put down their weapons.
"We do not wish to attack you or your people! We only want the red eyed warrior known as Izuna Uchiha! If you hand him over to us we can assure your that we will protect Italica and it's people!" The general said whilst using a megaphone. The blue haired girl from earlier, Lelei La Lelena, translated the general's words for Pina to understand.
Pina was about to speak up, but Izuna covered her mouth.
"Don't. I'll handle them since I speak their language fluently." Izuna told Pina
"But Izuna-"
"But nothing. Just stay behind me you got that?" Izuna advised Pina, who nodded yes.
"What do you want here?" Izuna asked the green men.
"Izuna Uchiha! For the murder of two of our soldiers you are hereby under arrest. Surrender yourself peacefully to the JSDF and you will be escorted back to our world to stand trial for your crimes!" The general of the JSDF demanded Izuna to do.
Izuna began to silently chuckle at first, and then burst out into a mad laughter that confused both Pina and the JSDF.
"Izuna Uchiha! This is your last chance! Comply now or you will be terminated this instant!" The general warned Izuna.
"Izuna are you insane? What are you planning?" Pina whispered into his ear.
"You will see...I advise you stand back." Izuna told Pina.
Activating his Sharingan again, Izuna's face curled into a sadistic smile as he unsheathed his katana.
"You idiots didn't learn the last time what happens when you dare oppose and threaten an Uchiha! It looks like I will have to show you that again." Izuna confidently stated to the JSDF.
Noticing that Izuna Uchiha did not want to comply with the JSDF's orders to stand down, the General ordered his men to fire upon Izuna with their firearms.
Only what happened next left them all in disbelief, as Izuna deflected all of their bullets with his katana while running towards them at full speed.
The general of the JSDF was in compete disbelief, was this how the Imperial Army felt like when they met the hellfire of their modern weaponry?
"S-someone shoot him with an RPG!" The general ordered one of his soldiers to do. A nearby solider readied an RPG on his shoulder and fired a shot directly at the running Izuna.
Izuna's mind: (They don't learn do they?)
Smiling smugly with his activated Sharingan and chakra enhanced katana, Izuna stylishly sliced the rocket in half with his katana. Upon doing so Izuna jumped a good 30 feet in the air, and made several handsigns.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Anihilation!"
A sea of flames burst out of Izuna's mouth and engulfed most of the ground below him. Only Itami, those two magical girls and the long eared woman managed to escape his fire jutsu in time, while the rest of the JSDF in it's radius were scorched alive by the flames.
The thunder boomed above Izuna's head, and soon it had began to rain.
Izuna's mind: (Perfect...these are the perfect weather conditions for me to use my special jutsu to it's maximum power)
Three of those flying machines and five of those heavy ground contraptions with weird nozzles all fired upon Izuna simultaneously.
Izuna dodged their projectiles with ease as the rain began pouring heavily now, drenching him to the bone. This was the time to use that special jutsu that took him two years to master.
With another smirk on his face Izuna made several more handsigns in quick succession and when he was done doing so raised both of his hands into the air.
"Now feel the power of an Uchiha Elite! Lightning Style: Lightning Storm!" Izuna cried out as several enormous bolts of lightning snaked out of the stormy sky and simultaneously stuck all of the remaining JSDF helicopters and tanks in the areas, destroying them instantly with a violent explosion.
Pina looked on complete disbelief. She believed that these green men were an invincible force not to be reckoned with and yet this man, with nothing but a katana made quick work of most of them. Most amazing of all was how he managed to manipulate the thunderstorm to call forth giant lightning bolts to eradicate the green men's powerful weapons and destroy them in an instant.
Was this the power of a god Pina wondered to herself, as she found herself both amazed and deeply afraid of Izuna after seeing first hand his overwhelming power.
"What...the...?" Itami stammered out in fear of his life. Tuka was not doing any better as she was openly crying in the rain and begging Izuna to not kill her. Rory and Lelei were compeletely silent, but even the both of them were terrified at the power Izuna had displayed before them. Even Rory, a nearly millennia year old mage and of the most powerful apostles of Emroy not yet ascended, knew now without a doubt that this Izuna fellow was far more powerful than herself.
As Izuna readied his hand wielding his katana, intent on finishing off the last survivors, Pina's eyes widened in shock and without a second though sprinted towards Izuna's location.
"Izuna don't!" He heard Pina's voice cry out behind him. For some reason Izuna's hand hesitated to strike finishing blow to the end the miserable lives of Yoji and his groupies and before he knew it, Pina had finally caught up to him and lowered his arm.
"Why do you intend to spare them?" Izuna flatly asked Pina.
"Because if we kill them, we will become no better than the monsters we strive to liberate the empire from!" Pina strongly stated.
Izuna was confused. They were the enemy, they tried to kill him and yet Pina wanted to show them mercy, mercy?
This did not make sense to Izuna at all, and he openly voiced his objection to this.
"Why spare them Pina?" Izuna harshly asked Pina.
"Because small acts of kindness goes a long way. If we show them mercy, dignity and respect then they will have no reason to fear or hate us, and it will convince them that we are not their enemies and really do care about them." Pina explained to Izuna.
Kindness...that was something Izuna had not seen in years. In all his life growing up, said acts of kindness were only done if the one doing said act wanted something in return. Not because of compassion for their fellow man.
If what Pina is saying is true, could that mean that the naively optimistic dream he and Madara both shared in their childhood could become true? Could Pina be a living embodiment of those ideals he held so long ago?
Izuna shook his head in disbelief. He barely heard Pina's order for all of them to head back to Italica to rest.
Just why was he feeling like this? He thought that the death of his most of his family and the betrayal of his former fiance was a sign that the world was not worth saving, and that life was only about the survival of the fittest, nothing more nothing less.
But now...despite being out in the pouring rain, it felt as though the dark clouds covering his soul were disappearing and being replaced by the rays of hope. For the first time in years Izuna smiled not a smile of sadism, but one of genuine happiness.