The fear of things foreign among the damiyo, the court, and the shinobi was based on ignorance. They had never been away from the Imperial Capital, and the damiyo rarely left the confines of their palace. The shinobi didn't go outside of their territories unless it was for battle or trade. None of the nobles had ever seen the ocean or, of course, the great ships that carried the Water country barbarians to the mainland, or the great ships that were carrying foreigners to the mainland.
They had heard rumors of the foreigners, ridiculous as they were frightening. Some foreigners had long noses, big eyes, and yellow or red hair. They also ate red meat and harbored designs that rubbed many in the Elemental nations the wrong way. Their ignorance notwithstanding, the Lightning damiyo, his court, and Kumogakure were painfully aware of the treaty. Neither they nor the loyal samurai who revered the damiyo believed that the encroachment of the Water country and foreign nations would stop. If warships could bring to its knees the coast of the mainland, which had stood at the vanguard of civilization and culture since ancient times, certainly the rest of it faced similar peril.
Many of the Imperial Loyalists were samurai. They claimed that the damiyo was the true and rightful ruler of the Lightning country. They professed that Kumogakure was merely an imperial agent who had been commissioned by the damiyo to protect the Lightning country from foreign invasion. If they were unable to keep the foreigners out, the damiyo and his court would be restored to power to save the nation. National politics in Kumogakure and the Lightning country gradually developed into a twofold structure.
The situation on the coastlines continued to deteriorate. Unruly ronin and shinobi flocked to them. Most were rogue with a vendetta against the foreigners, villages, the amalgamation, and the Water country. They wore lethal kunai at their hips and carried swords on their backs. They were raring to use their swords to expel the barbarians and punish the damiyo's government for allowing a shinobi village to be formed.
As spring approached, blood flowed and chaos reigned on the coasts, Katsu and Hashirama were compelled to visit there—to report to their respective damiyo their promise to expel the barbarians.
The Fire and Lightning damiyo instituted a new post. It was the official function of the protector of the mainland to safeguard the Imperial Capital, but the true purpose was to crush the enemies of Konohagakure and Kumogakure. The Fire and Lightning damiyo enlisted ronin in the east and west of their territories to subdue the barbarians on the coasts.
The government provided each man of the corps with coins of gold.
An ill-conceived attempt to gain their loyalty.
The situation exploded when the Water damiyo signed a commercial treaty without the cooperation of the other damiyo. The Loyalists cried outrage. They charged treason. They vowed to punish the wicked Water damiyo, the clans of the Water country, and all officials who were responsible. The man they most hated was the Water damiyo regent, Haru, Lord of the Three Islands, who had usurped power two months earlier in order to push for the treaty to be hastened and signed.
Just before the subsequent death of the feeble minded predecessor of the current Water damyio, Aoi, the second regent arranged for himself to succeed him. Under him, the dictatorial regent ruled with an iron fist. Regent Haru was determined that his enemies would not interfere with his plans. He unleashed his infamous purge, the extent of which was unprecedented in scope and severity. Nearly one hundred Kaguya and Akebino were detained. A number of them were either executed or perished in the boats. The aim of the Imperial Court was to avoid national disgrace.
The two men has been entrusted with the administration of the Water country. Those who administer, must sometimes act with expediency. However, Haru was determined to bear upon himself the responsibilities of the grave crime of not obtaining imperial sanction. Regent Haru would pay for his "grave crime" just before spring. On the snowy morning, the regent was ambushed by a band of swordsmen.
Seventeen from Sarutobi, twelve from Hyuga, and three dozen ronin—as his boat made landfall on the coast.
The authority by which the Water damiyo had ruled his domain these past two and a half centuries seemed to evaporate into thin air as the regent's hot blood melted the freshly fallen snow just outside the forest of the mainland, and news of the Hoshi Gate Incident shocked the every village and nation. If the most powerful man in the Water country could be cut down by a small band of assassins, there was no limit to the havoc that hundreds, or even thousands, of ronin and shinobi could wreak throughout the mainland.
There was no limit to how much good Kumogakure and Konohagakure could truly do, and any villages that adopted their design.
There was no end to the mystery of the amalagamation.
If a country was warring against Konoha, Kumogakure, the amalgamation, and everything that held the cradle of civilization together...
It was...
The Era of Warring States.
Hashirama slowly lifted his head, seeing the bold kanji in his mind's eyes. What he was working so hard to end was about to burst like it never had before, and now he had to take the dangerous trek to the amalgamation.
The era of Warring States was ending, it was definitely over in his opinion.
A new era was beginning.
One filled with light and uncertainty.
The Revolutionary Era.
"This is it brother. Once we retrieve Disuke and Yosuke everything changes."
Hashirama took a deep breath.
"It's a good change."
Hashirama eased a nod.
"I never gave up my ideals or my dream. I hope Madara, Mikito, and everyone else..."
"They're keen enough to discuss a peace treaty with us in addition to offering support. They're very concerned about the Water damiyo."
Hashirama wondered if that worked to their benefit.
If it was able to give birth to cooperation, he'd definitely move forward.
"Let's go. We have a meeting to attend."
