"Excellent!" The Akebino leader said as Hashirama blocked the whirling flurry of attacks, and countered with one of his own.
He didn't actually score a direct hit, but he did force the rabid man to take a full steps back under the fury of his assault. He leapt high in the air, spinning and twisting so he could lash down at Hashirama as he soared just over the top of his head. Hashirama was more than ready, switching from offense to defense in a single movement. He formed a wood clone quickly, that was swiftly swept away. He parried both blades of the Akebino leader's weapon even as he shifted out of the way and rolled clear to safety.
He spun to face his foe, only to see that the Akebino leader had lowered his weapon, signifying the end of the exchange, for now. "Very good, Hashirama, it seems there's more to those rumors after all."
"I am the First Hokage!"
"I thought you might be caught off guard by that move, but you were able to anticipate and defend it with perfect technique." He was breathing hard, his muscles glistening with sweat and twitching with adrenaline, yet he felt as if he could have continued fighting for hours. war zones and battles had become much more than mere physical exertion for him now. Each movement, every strike and thrust, had become an extension of the vicious intent acting through the shell of his flesh-and-bone body.
He longed to engage another opponent in life or death. He hungered for the challenge of testing himself against another like Hashirama.
But it wasn't time.
Not yet.
He still wasn't good enough to defeat Hashirama, and until he could take the Senju down he had to keep his rapidly developing talents hidden. Hashirama tossed a shuriken at him, which he promptly deflected with ease. The Akebino leader was pleased to see that the Hashirama was sweating as well. He was pressing the younger Senju, and he could feel a victory coming if he was swift enough.
"Do you have anything you want to say to your prosperous villagers?"
"I plan to be alive even after Konoha prospers. I made a promise a long time ago..."
"You call yourself Hokage now? Fire Shadow?" The Akebino leader breathed deeply, a sadistic grin crossing his face.
"The First Hokage."
"I'm going to kill Hashirama Senju."
"I didn't think you'd be one for the formalities and titles..." Hashirama trailed off, keeping his toes pointed towards his foe, his stance shifting ever so slightly as he circled around.
The Akebino leader's eyes widened and he stepped back, turning to face Hashirama directly. He brought his dual sided blade up to his face, then snapped it to his side in a ready stance. "I had this blade forged to take Hashirama Senju's head. The Water country, the Water damiyo, and all of us don't acknowledge your way."
Hashirama gently kneaded his chakra.
A wave of his free hand sent branches and boles of mammoth size flying at the shifty leader, seeming as if it would surely crush him. The Akebino leader was ready, waving his own hand, wind and blade pushing the ninjutsu onslaught harmlessly aside. Hashirama clutched at the nearby boats, breaking free great wooden blocks that rocketed towards the bloodthirsty foe. Hands and blades waved, the mammoth projectiles, the platforms of wooden blocks, all dropped to the sides of them, bouncing across the water until they tipped over with roots.
The Akebino leader chuckled, gave a little growl and thrust forth his hand, unleashing lines of purple lightning at Hashirama. The younger Senju caught it in his own hand and turned it aside, far from easily, watching it burst three boats in half and crash into the armada, sending a swath of debris and flames scraping across his vision.
"You're terrifyingly powerful." Hashirama admitted, and the leader of the Akebino grinned.
"I am much more powerful than any shinobi on the mainland you're used to dealing with...Even that Madara Uchiha!"
"I wouldn't push it!"
"Let us!"
More lightning poured forth from his hand, but Hashirama continued to catch it and turn it back, and seemed to become even more settled in his posture that resembled a hard pushing palm strike. The Akebino leader pushed, and Hashirama continued to push back, just barely keeping himself from skidding backwards from the velocity of the lightning.
The lightning began to fragment and dart out away from them.
"It's a good thing I'm use to dealing with lightning. Hajime had red lightning if I can remember right. " Hashirama remarked.
"Red?" The Akebino leader disengaged the ninjutsu assault, humming as he processed the statement.
"It was much more powerful and intense than your lightning...But, it didn't have the vicious maliciousness yours does."
"It is obvious this contest will not be decided by our expertise in Ninjutsu. It will be decided by our skills with a blade! Used in tandem with ninjutsu!"
Hashirama slowly clasped the hilt of his sword, its blade humming to life with his chakra. "I am Hashirama Senju. First Hokage."
"I am known as Masumi Akebino in the Water country. I am the leader of the Akebino clan. You can call me that." He gave the air a slice, igniting his own blades with his malicious chakra.
He leapt at Hashirama, unleashing a sudden and devastating windmill. But not one slash ever got close to hitting. Hashirama let loose a roar each time he turned the blades aside pressing in offensively with vigor. Masumi went into a wild flurry, the likes of which he wasn't going to show Hashirama until later, raining windmilling blows after revolving slashes. Hashirama was a spinning top of motion himself. His subtle dodges and precision parries kept the flashing blades slashing and stabbing harmlessly wide.
It went on and on for many moments, but eventually Masumi's flurry began to slow, and recognizing the futility of this attempt to overwhelm, stepped back fast. Not fast enough. With a sudden burst of sheer power, Hashirama flew forward, moving his blade with such speed and power that its residual glow outshone even those of both of the Akebino's blood shine blades when he was at the peak of his malicious dance.
Masumi held strong, his blades blocking and deflecting brilliantly, each block backed by pure power, or else Hashirama's willful strikes would have driven right through. Just as he was about to launch a counter, Hashirama was gone, leaping high and turning a somersault to land right behind Masumi, in perfect balance, striking hard.
Masumi reversed his grip, windmilled, and stabbed out behind him on the last transition, intercepting the blows. He spun about, catching the blade before it had even disengaged from the first. With a growl of rage, Masumi reached more into his chakra, letting it flow through him as if his physical form was a mere conduit for its power. His tempo increased suddenly and dramatically, rocketing forward, windmilling back, corkscrewing and somersaulting, perfectly balanced all the while.
He came at Hashirama with a series of cunning stabs, angled down, left, and right. He aimed at his ears and eyes. Hashirama never gave him the chance to attack low. He was way too swift, leaping, flipping, and spinning, flying all about, parrying each blow and offering cunning counters that had Masumi rocketing forward with thrice the speed. He stabbed up high, turning the angle of his in anticipation that Hashirama would dodge left. At the last second he retracted the missed thrust, and began a second stab, this time down low, but Hashirama had anticipated that, too, and went right back up behind the stabbing blade.
A sudden stab and slash by Hashirama had Masumi quick-stepping back even more off-balance, for the first time, and then Hashirama leapt up and back. Masumi pursued, thrusting hard for Hashirama's head. And in his rage when his stab missed yet again, he reverted to a slashing windmill. Hashirama's shining blade caught the blows, holding the blood shined blades at bay, locking the two in a contest of strength, physical and of chakra.
"Your kenjutsu is very excellent!" Masumi congratulated, and his blade slowly began to move out, just a bit, but Hashirama plowed forward and put them both into a bind.
Masumi twisted into a windmill angling for another series of stabs, but Hashirama followed him with a counter, breaking the edge of his blade against the edge of Masumi's.
He managed to halt both of their attacks, but it locked them into another test of strength.
"You're strong!" Masumi released his dual sided weapon, letting hashirama break the first blade while sending the second flying away in three pieces.
"The battle is far from over for me!" Hashirama stubbornly argued.
Reaching into the his chakra, he took hold of one of the huge mountains of debris nearby and threw it down at Hashirama.
"Brother!" Tobirama yelled.
Hashirama grabbed the pile of debris with huge branches and held it fast, but in doing so, he had to release his focus on Masumi. He wasted no time, sprinting away, leaping up the ramp to his sail ship. As Hashirama began to move the fallen mountain of debris harmlessly aside for the most part, the sail ship roared to life with chakra, and all three of them watched helplessly as Masumi, Masaru Hozuki, and Madoka Kaguya left the scene on their sailboats.
As Tobirama and Kiyoshi walked over to the stunned Hashirama, Danzo rushed over with Fumiko.
"We need to get out of here before the explosives go off. We have ten minutes bare minimum."
"We have this victory, but the next time..." Hashirama said quietly.
"They still have to deal with the traps we set. Tobirama's put an infinity seal of explosives on it as well. The Shimura have something similar." Danzo said.
Hashirama nodded, getting himself ready. That just leaves Disuke and Yosuke now.
"We can't take out every ship here, but we can take out enough. The traps we have set will handle the rest." Fumiko supplied, not caring for Danzo's dark demeanor.
Hashirama nodded, looking at the carnage left behind before he departed. There'd only be more to follow. He had accepted this before, but seeing what those fiends were capable of made him pause and give ground. If that's what he had to deal with-if that's what the mainland had to deal with-there's no way they'd be able to attain victory without being united in some form.
Even if they were separate villages, they'd have to get on the same page.
"Disuke and Yosuke are the key now." Kiyoshi said with a knowing gaze, keeping his focus shifting from Hashirama to the carnage. "We better leave."
"I agree." Tobirama said succinctly, and with that they departed.
They may have won the battle, but none were sure what was coming...
"Will Madara, Mikito, and the others cooperate with us?" Fumiko asked, a sliver of worry creeping into her.
"Thankfully they need to speak with us as well...it just took this to draw them out. Even if they wish to walk away from the shinobi creed, we are all give and take. They took Disuke and Yosuke, we have to give them information and the discussion they want. In turn. Hashirama-sama gets the discussion he wants."
"How can you be sure?"
Hashirama smirked. "Madara wouldn't have it any other way. The fact we're going to be able to discuss means..."
Syrus had never been so hungry in his life. It was gnashing at him, making his stomach gnaw at his bones, causing him to hunch over as he trudged slowly. For more than three weeks he had searched the Shadow Lands, sustaining himself only with the meat there from the beasts and monsters there, chakra, and the water he'd store along for the desert journey every so often. He rarely slept, but rested his mind from time to time through meditation. For all its power, even chakra couldn't create something from nothing. It couldn't ward off starvation. Twice he'd been set on by pack hunters, the mongrels that prowled the shadow lands attacking and stealing every kill. They were the true scavengers.
The first time he drove them away with a series of ninjutsu, seizing the body of the alpha male with a boulder, and hurled it into the rest of the pack, injuring several dozen of the beasts. They scurried away with high-pitched howls that had sent shivers down his spine. The second attack had been far bloodier. While exploring one of the most recent tombs that were disturbed by the Senju duo, he'd found himself surrounded by another pack.
A pack twice the size of the first. He unleashed his blade on them, slicing through flesh and bone. He unleashed ninjutsu on them, crushing them and snapping them meters away from him. When the pack finally broke and fled, forty of the over twelve dozen still lived. Forty more were wounded and died fleeing with the rest of them. After that they left him alone while he trudged back to the compound, which was a good thing, because he was no longer sure he'd be able to hold them off if they wanted to attack again.
A faint gust of wind brought the sound of distant voices to his ears. Glancing up, he was surprised to see the gates of the compound looming ahead of him, less than a few hundred meters away. Caught up in his mental ramblings, he hadn't realized how far he'd come since he drank the vial Ahiko gave him. He was close enough to see small figures moving at the base of the huge gates. It could have been guards, or possibly a handful of students out wandering the surrounding grounds after a hard day's training. One of them noticed him approaching and hurried back inside, probably to deliver news of his return to Shuji, Haji, Usagi and the others.
Syrus wasn't sure what kind of reception the elders were going to give him. In truth he didn't care, as long as they brought him food when they came to speak to him. Beyond that they were of no use to him anymore. They had no real understanding of the geo-politics happening.
Not a single one of them was going to acknowledge it.
Shizuku...
She wasn't intimidated by the Council, or anyone for that matter. She had defied them to train him when they were younger. He had done the same multiple times. The fact that she had done it for her own selfish reasons only offered further proof that she understood the true nature of chakra. He wished now that he had spoken to her more before he left the compound this last time. He could have at least tried to explain why he had to go. She had been disappointed in him for letting things go a certain way with Hashirama, among her list of complaints. Rightfully so. In the end he was the one who had turned away from her. He was the one who left her behind while he went in search of the Shadow Land's hidden secrets.
What could she possibly think of him now?
As he reached the edge of the training grounds the scents of the midday meal being prepared in the kitchens wafted out to him, driving all other thoughts from his mind. Mouth watering and stomach rumbling, he hobbled up the steps toward the ever-nearing prospect of food. The news that Syrus had returned did not sit well with Jime. The timing couldn't have been worse.
Haji had sent an urgent message.
Everyone that was out fighting, was to come to the compound to join the battle against the Water damiyo. They were the join the battle against any clans that didn't follow the example that the Terumi, Yuki, Kori, and Hoshigaki clans set by joining the amalgamation. The apprentices were all to be presented with swords and given seats in the ranks once they were done fighting for real. It wouldn't do good to show up with one of his most powerful apprentices being as defiant as Syrus had been at their last meeting. It would be even worse if Syrus refused the offer and went off on his own, disobeying the command to stay and handle things so they could all move forward for a second time. Haji had managed to keep everything together in his absence, but it was an alliance that was always on the verge of disintegrating if there was one misstep. One defection could lead to others, and things would return to a state of chaos.
With everyone trying to dominate and destroy their rivals. The shinobi would survive and rebuild their creed, all the while laughing at the foolishness of their mortal enemies.
If only Syrus had perished out in the wastes of the Shadow Lands! Unfortunately, he had returned, and Jime couldn't do anything to eliminate him now. Not after Haji's directive. They had need of every blade and every Subatsu, Mo, and Hagoromo, especially one as strong as himself and Syrus. For the sake of the amalgamation, for the sake of his own glorious visions of the future, Jime would have to find some way to make amends.
News that Syrus had returned spread quickly through the compound. Shizuku wasn't surprised. If anything, she was relieved. When Jime had informed everyone they would soon be shipping out to the coast when the time came, she'd feared they would leave before Syrus returned, denying him his rightful place at the top to lead. Instead fortune had smiled on him. He'd have to act quickly, though. Once they left the compound it would be too late. Haji would have all the apprentices repeat the code and ethics, swear loyalty and fealty to each other when they joined the ranks.
Killing his enemy after that would be an act of betrayal punishable by death.
It wouldn't be about his enemy.
Syrus collapsed into his bed, his belly close to bursting. He'd gorged himself in the kitchen, tearing into the food with the manners of one of those beasts tearing apart a carcass. He stuffed himself with everything in sight until his ravenous hunger was sated. It was only then that he remembered he hadn't actually slept in nearly two weeks. Hunger had given way to exhaustion, and he'd wandered from the kitchen to his room in a daze. Within seconds he had dropped into a deep, dreamless sleep. He woke several hours later to a knocking at his door.
Still groggy, he forced himself to his feet, lit a candle, and opened the door. Jime was standing in the hall. He barged in without waiting for an invitation, closing the door behind him. Syrus was too busy trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep to protest.
"Welcome back." The older man said. "I trust your journey was...Educational to say the least."
"It was in some ways." Syrus only nodded, he couldn't help but wonder why Jime was being so cordial.
"I hope you understand now why I let you go." Jime said.
You were too afraid to go to the depths and heights that I went to, Syrus thought, but didn't say anything aloud.
"This was the final phase of your training...You had to understand why all of the clans, even the Domou and Subatsu...Have abandoned the old ways. This is a new age, and you could understand that only once you recognized the old age was truly gone."
Syrus remained stoic, not agreeing with Jime but unwilling to argue the point.
Jime cleared his throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I know you were already given a sword before you left. I, too, have a gift for you."
He held out his hand, a near identical sword waiting there for him to take.
When Syrus hesitated, Jime spoke again.
"Take it, Syrus-sama." He put a special emphasis on the title.
Syrus said nothing as the older man continued speaking.
"This blade is a just a little longer than the one you're using now." Jime assured him.
Moving slowly, Syrus reached out and took it in his hand. It was cold to the touch at first, but as he gripped it the hilt quickly grew warm.
"The timing of your return from the the Shadow Lands couldn't have been better." Jime continued.
"Why do you say that?"
"We are making preparations to leave when it comes time. Haji said we all must be united in the amalgamation, if we are to defeat the Water damiyo's infinite armada and the bloodthirsty clans warring alongside."
"So the marriages already happened?"
"No. Disuke and Yosuke were captured by Mizuki. If we're going to speak to Hashirama, now is the time. That's why your timing couldn't be better."
Syrus smirked slightly. "I guess that depends on perception."
"Why do you say that?"
Syrus smirked. "I've changed. That's why Ahiko wanted me to talk to you."
Jime snapped to attention, his eyes widening. "Are you telling me..."
"I am a bronze god. I'm different that before." Syrus said, his smirk growing.
"What did you do!?"
