"Trust. Such a fragile thing, isn’t it?" |
Prologue: To Live and to Die[]
”Ajari, come back, please. I miss you, bud.”
Ikezu was hovering over a pair of men. On the right was none other than Enjaku - the one responsible for his previous defeat. In his past life, he would have done everything in his power to wipe this Rinnegan-bearing fool off the face of the earth.
But that was yesterday’s Ikezu - the Ikezu who lost roughly a month prior. He saw things more clearly now, and perhaps this Enjaku fellow had good intentions.
Even better, perhaps he could use him.
Ikezu’s eyes shifted to Enjaku.
”You can come, too. If you like.”
The encounter was taking place within the Land of Ogres. Enjaku had taken Ajari back to his home at the Temple of Nothingness; he felt bad for what transpired.
But now, here they were, just a mile or so away from home…
And Ikezu was back.
There was no one nearby, just farmland and cattle. Farms with no farmer. Enjaku was sort of shocked that no one was around at this time of day. Hell, it was peak daylight hours.
“I ain’t goin’.” He said, Rinnegan emanating a faint glow. “Ajari can make his own choice, but I have something a bit more important to attend to.”
Ikezu nodded, blank eyes staring at the brown-haired lad.
“Fine by me. You comin’ Ajari?”
”Hace you gotten a grip?” The winged man responded. “Done everything you said you would?”
The horned man smiled.
“Takachiho looks awesome.” He started, causing Enjaku to raise an eyebrow.
“The land’s gorgeous, the capital is restored, Abyss nullified, and its past inhabitants have returned. It’s awesome.”
Admittedly, the Rinnegan wielder had to admit that Ikezu sounded much more like he should have - in comparison to their last encounter. He seemed genuine.
Enjaku’s white Samsara Eye made a subtle noise. Ikezu noticed, but seemed unfazed.
“I wasn’t lying, dude. I’m still Ikezu.”
Ajari sighed and crossed his arms.
“Has Uzume come back?”
”No, I wanted you to come first. To make sure everything was suitable before I asked her next.”
Ajari’s companion spun around and began to walk towards his home.
“He’s telling the truth.”
Yeah, Ajari was aware. Otherwise he wouldn’t have gone through the efforts of finding him after their… last goodbyes.
“Fine,” conceded Ajari who took to the sky to meet Ikezu. “Show me all the good you’ve done.”
Ikezu smiled, nodding his head.
”You’ll love it.”
And with that, the duo disappeared from the airspace, leaving Enjaku behind. He stopped in his tracks and gazed upward, Rinnegan shining eerily.
“Eight days…”
”Why do I know that?”
Autumn leaves fell around him and lined the path he walked. Every step he took was a crunchy one. Cool air caressing his skin and playfully tugging at his poncho as he pondered these visions he had.
It wasn’t human, whatever it was.
Glimpses of something that was yet to happen.
Peeks at things that already transpired.
A crown missing a jewel, the reaper, king, and jackal swearing an oath, a puppet puppeteer…
And a sword that snapped, bleeding from the blade, and out crawled a blood-soaked woman with ominous gray eyes.
Takachiho hid many things - why weren’t they hidden from him?
Hachiman stroked Keshin’s hair, his head in her lap, and watched as Jin played with Ōgyoku in the living room.
It had been a little over a month since she… killed him. But death in flesh was a simple fix - the Sixth God breathed, his heart pumped.
The soul, however, was a different matter.
”Damn you.” Ōgyoku grumbled as Jin hugged him by the neck. The child was riding on his back as if he were a horse, leaning down and holding him by the hackles.
”I’m not a-“
The dog’s ears perked up.
“What is it, Ōgy-doggy?” Jin asked.
Her eyes lit up as she looked around the room.
“Mommy! The blanket is back!”
True enough, Keshin began to stir in Hachiman’s lap.
”HE MOVED!” Jin yelled with glee, yanking on Ōgyoku’s neck to steer him Keshin’s direction. Her little legs flapped about, lightly tapping his sides and encouraging him to comply with her.
Ōgyoku groaned, more unenthused about the child’s incessant hyper antics than he was enthused about his master’s revival.
Keshin’s eyelids twitched, but remained closed for a moment as he took his first conscious breath.
“Morning…”
”GOOD MORNING DADDY!” Jin yelled as she patted his head. She was now leaning to the side and bracing herself against the bed. “It’s time to wake up!”
”You’re awake…“
Hachiman gazed down at her husband, who was grinning sheepishly, before pulling him into a hug.
”I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry…”
He opened his eyes as she tugged him upwards, arms still at his side. Keshin had just come back from the dead after all - his eyes hadn’t seen light in months.
“Huh… you got more cushion now…”
”Daddy! What about me?!” Jin yelled, now making her way off the dog and onto the bed. She would climb up his back and hold his neck the same way she held Ōgyoku.
”Hi papa!”
”Hello…“ The Sixth replied in a soothing, yet scratchy, deep tone. “Whatcha been doin’?”
”Playing! Do you wanna play?”
”Yeah, in a sec.”
Now that he was sitting up, he and Jin were both looking down at Hachiman as she cried into his chest.
”Oh… you’re fine.” He said, watching what he said around his child. “It’s not your fault.”
”Y-Yes it is,” she sniffled. “I was so foolish, so rash. You didn’t deserve that.”
He planted a kiss on the top of her head.
”We’ll talk about that later.”
Setting her upright on her own, Keshin would slide off the bed with Jin on his back. The child giggled uncontrollably while grabbing his face.
“I missed you daddy…”
“Mhm, I missed you too, sweetheart. Dad’s hungry though, let’s go make some food.”
”Okay!”
For a man who was just resurrected, he seemed rather content with the way things unfolded. Keshin wasn’t visibly bothered by anything that had transpired between he and Hachiman.
Why would he be? He was here with his family, and everyone could get along again.
That was all he wanted.
“Holy shit, you really did it.”
”Duh.” Ikezu laughed as they strode through the city square.
Takachiho was fully populated with civilians, all wearing new clothes. Many stands and stalls were lining the road they traveled upon. People conversed, children played, and a group of women giggled and waved at Ajari.
“I brought back every last inhabitant that died at the Jackal’s hands. They’re a bit… uh, unfamiliar with modern shit.”
Many large, rectangular white buildings were at the edges of the square. Off in the distance, they could see the castle rising above the rest.
It was fully restored.
“It’d be the perfect place to settle down, unless you still wanted to hang with Enjaku.”
It seemed a bit too idyllic. As if there was a “catch” to all this.
“How did you do all this in such a short time?”
Ikezu waved at a few of the merchants they passed before responding.
”Yowohinitsuide.” He responded, putting his hands in his pockets - the former cultist had went back to rocking his classic fit: baggy gray pants and no shirt.
“That, and the fact that I have full control over the Abyss now. There’s no catch, Ajari.”
It was as if he’d read his mind.
“Sorry, that was probably rude. I’m not used to the whole ‘seeing inside people’s heads’ thing yet. Weird shit.”
Weird indeed. But Ajari smiled - Ikezu seemed somewhat like how he was before, just adjusting to his new self.
“Well, show me around man, show me the sights of Takachiko.”
Ikezu chuckled, happy his friend was being compliant. He’d truly missed having him around.
”Totally.” Was the ex-Jashinist’s response. “When it gets dark we’ll take a peek at some of the more interesting areas. Lots of cool spots.”
”There’s this one place though, weird as hell. It’s the only place on the continent I can’t influence.”
”Really?” Was Ajari’s response. “Where? Any reasons why?”
Ikezu pointed towards the castle.
”Northern region, near the shore. Has a strange vibe to it.” He stated, matter of factly. “Has a portal I can’t open. I also can’t affect that region with my time-dilation. If there’s a barrier there, I can’t see it.”
Oh.
It was the strange place Ajari and Enjaku discovered. Per the Ūtsuro’s words, only one of his fellow clansmen could possibly have a hand in it. Or, at least, a user of Wūji.
“What do you think it means? It’s significant? If even.”
He directed his focus on the beautiful women a short distance away, trying to keep his mind fruitless to Ikezu’s prying eyes.
Whether or not it’d work and how far Ikezu would go for total control of Takachiho was to be seen - at any rate, Enjaku was a target of interest.
Ikezu shrugged, continuing their stride together.
“I mean, it’s not like I’m tryna be a conqueror or anything.” Was his somber reply. “Could care less as long as it doesn’t hold some dangerous secret that’ll hurt my people.”
”All I care about is keeping you, Uzume, and my little guys in the city safe. Not interested in dominating the land or anything.”
Doubts seemed to be present in Ajari’s mind - uncertainties. It wasn’t an issue for Ikezu. He understood how Ajari was, and knew that his friend obviously had no ill intent.
Ikezu hoped Ajari could see the same about him.
”I do want to reach out to Uzume in a bit, since you’re here. Maybe she’ll realize it’s not that bad here.”
Ajari raised his hands up in surrender, a smile on his face.
“That’s all on you, not me. Using me as a prop wouldn’t convince her of anything, you know how Uzume is.”
”Yeah. Can’t even bribe her with my body - she’s pregnant.”
Ikezu laughed, then his face grew serious.
”Wait… if she’s pregnant, we can still..? Right?”
Ajari stifled a laugh of his own and offered Ikezu a pat on the back.
Despite the circumstances, it was good to be back.
“HELLOOOOOO~!” Minobi yodeled. She was beating on the large wooden door with both fists.
”Mr. Keshin, it’s me and big daddy Ritsu~! We came to say hi!”
No response.
”Unghh…” The woman groaned. “He always ignores me. I HATE this guy.”
Ritsu reached forward and took Minobi’s arms in hand, lowering them from the door. She had knocked on it a grand total of fourteen times.
“Or, and this may be extreme for you,” he said, eyes bright and filled with faux zeal. “We can wait for someone to come to the door!”
Right on cue, the door creaked open and there stood a man with shaggy black hair, dressed in a comfortable looking red, hooded shawl. His eyes were noticeably bloodshot.
“Hey.”
Minobi looked him up and down; this was not Keshin.
”WHOA! Look baby! It’s an Uchiha!” She was jumping up and down excitedly and pointing to his eyes. “He’s got the Sharingan!”
He was indeed not an Uchiha.
“I’m not an Uchiha, I’m a… uh…” He seemed to be a thousand miles away. “I’m Akazukin. Oh! And a Nakazōra.”
Ritsu looked upon him curiously. A Nakazōra hm? His knowledge of the subject was somewhat fresh, having gleaned it from Keshin’s mind when they first met some time ago.
This Akazukin could control, to an extent, the Abyss; the very power that threatened to overtake this world while being influenced by a Ten-Tails. And an antagonistic force to the Ōtsutsuki.
Just the very word threatened to surge anger through his veins. Because of them…
No. It was Minobi’s wish to come visit and she was so excited; he will not sour it.
“Hey Akazukin, can we come in? Keshin should be expecting us… now that he’s definitely heard Minobi.”
”Is he really? He hasn’t said anything about you people coming over.”
”He’s never expecting me.” Minobi replied with a smile. “That’s why it’s fun! My dad said I should come check on him, cuz he’s the one who told us he’s alive again.”
The girl would squeeze past Akazukin, trodding right into the Sixth’s house with no regard for whether she was allowed or not - she didn’t care.
Jin, who was sitting down at her kiddie table, perked up when she saw Minobi - who followed suite upon seeing the child.
”OHHHHH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOD~!”
She crouched down and squealed, eyes wide with wonder. Jin didn’t seem amused.
”RI-RI! LOOOOOOOK!!!”
Ritsu moved past the hooded man, bowing apologetically, then waved at the child his girlfriend has accosted.
“Hey, Jin. You’ve gotten stronger since I last saw you.”
She ignored his comment, pointing at Minobi.
”Stinky.”
”I AM NOT STINKY!” The accused retorted, instantly opting to sniff her own armpits before crossing her arms. “Remember me? I took care of you when your daddy was busy that one time? We played in the snow!”
”Yeah, you were stinky.”
”I WAS NOT!”
Ōgyoku would come from down the hall, curious about the noise. After seeing Minobi, he turned right back around.
”Noooo!! DOGGY!!!”
Minobi pouted as the dog disappeared down the hall and into the bedroom.
“Ri-Ri, I want a baby, and a puppy.”
Ritsu seemed to be preoccupied with the variety of books shelved on the furthermost wall. His eyes were glued to no title in particular, he just did not want to meet Minobi’s.
“No.”
”Unghh, you gotta be gay or something.”
Minobi would crouch to Jin’s level, looking her in the eyes with a smile.
”He said no. I tried to make you a friend. Anyways, where’s your daddy?”
”Shopping.”
”OF COURSE!” She groaned.
Akazukin sunk into the couch and reached onto the table, picking up a baggie of mushrooms. He plucked one out then tossed it into his mouth.
“Yeah…” said the man. “Maybe if you were expected he’d be here.”
”Mommy’s here.” Jin said in a bit of an aggravated tone. Her focus was back on the drawing that sat in front of her.
Akazukin sniffled and wiped his nose.
“She’s asleep tho-“
“I was asleep.”
Hachiman stood in the bedroom doorway, her Byakugan activated and Ketsuryūgan inquisitive.
“Until I was so rudely awakened to her yelling.”
Jin turned her head, offering Hachiman the first smile of the encounter.
”Hi mommy.”
”Ohhhhh my god~…”
As everyone present, save Hachiman, knew, Minobi was not good at reading the room. She happily skipped over to the Ōtsutsuki, walking around her and eyeing the woman up and down in a three-sixty manner.
“You’re so freakin’ pretty! Hiii, I’m Minobi!”
Akazukin watched in suspense. Ritsu listened carefully, his own dōjutsu gleaming with anticipation.
Hachiman blinked once. Twice.
“Oh… thank you?”
Minobi nodded.
”Uh-huh! My dad gave you the medicine for Mr. Keshin. I’m Sora’s kid.”
She looked at Ritsu.
”Mr. Keshin probably beats that thang UP! I know I would!”
Silence.
Then Akazukin burst into laughter.
“Wow, is that the first time you’ve ever said ‘thank you’? Damn, you must be an Ōtsutsuki whisperer!”
She grinned, patting Hachiman on the shoulder.
“When your big, grumpy man gets home, can you two get busy and have another kid? I love Jin but… she said I’m stinky.”
”Stinky.” Jin mumbled, showing Hachiman and Minobi the picture she was working on - it was the latter, obvious stink lines emanating from her stick-figure form.
”I’M NOT STINKY, JIN!”
“If the kid says you stink, you stink,” added Akazukin with a roguish grin. “And she’s not wrong, you smell like smoke.”
”I can’t help it!” Minobi said, puffing her cheeks out and putting her hands on her hips. “It’s my Kekkei Genkai, okay?!”
She turned back to Hachiman, cocking her head. “You look sad. What’s wrong?”
”She always looks like that,” chirped Akazukin as he propped a foot on the coffee table.
Hachiman glared daggers at the insolent man.
“Perhaps it is because I will never get quality sleep in this compound. And remove your disgusting foot from the table!”
Minobi huffed.
”Ri-Ri, take him outside. I need to talk to my bestie.”
”For what?” Interjected Akazukin. “I’m comfortable.”
But in an instant, Akazukin and Ritsu were outside the home, much to the surprise of passerby samurai.
The man in red looked around in confusion before settling back on Ritsu.
That was not something ordinary people could do so effortlessly. But he couldn’t be of Celestial-ilk, such abilities would have difficulty affecting his being, considering he was a Nakazōra.
“How did you do that? Who are you really?”
Ritsu shrugged his shoulders then took a few steps to the right before leaning against the wall.
“I’m just some dude.”
With a WHOOSH! a man appeared in the spot Ritsu left open. It was as if he was expecting the newcomer.
“That cannot be further from the truth.”
Akazukin raised an eyebrow.
“And who the hell are you supposed to be?”
”This is Banri,” answered Ritsu. “You can chill, he’s a friend.” He tilted his head. “So what do you want this time?”
“How sad for you to think I am incapable of simply visiting.” Banri crossed his arms, his jaw, tense. “I’ve been helping those who… survived in the Land of Springs and Geysers rebuild. The other nations as well, although they’re more cautious of me.”
”But there’s been unusual happenings across the continent. There’s been people randomly going missing, otherworldly roars, and strange weather fluctuations in isolated areas at night - then they just dissipate when the sun comes out.”
“Just last night as I was walking from a city council meeting, I saw a woman under a streetlight. Her skin was like cobalt, her eyes like coals. The lower half of her face was covered with a fan, but she asked me, ‘Am I beautiful?’.”
“And then??” Akazukin was thoroughly enraptured by the story. “Did you hit?”
“I didn’t answer her question. Then she…”
Banri appeared increasingly distressed. He swallowed before continuing.
”She closed the fan and… her jaw was unhinged, her mouth covered in blood. Her teeth were like razors and her tongue black. The oddest part, however, was that her presence reminded me of the shadow curse and... my father’s power.”
Akazukin snapped his finger akin to a eureka moment.
“That sounds like yōkai? They're, uh, mythical creatures of sorts. So is that Tamamo no Mae you spoke of. Depends on who you ask."
“It would seem,” said Ritsu, as he stood straight. “That Chihiro’s shadow curse was not without further consequence, as if he dabbled in something he shouldn't have.”
“Hmm,” replied Banri. “But Tamamo herself claimed to be a ‘living work of the gods’. If the shadow curse and the powers father possessed really weren't within her scope as he said, does that mean that there was something outside the realm of Ōtsutsuki empowering him? Empowering these monsters?"
Akazukin looked between the two men before pressing his head against his palm.
“I’m not in the right mind for this, this is making my head hurt.”
He re-entered the compound, Ritsu behind him while Banri faded away, and opened the door.
Meanwhile, as Ritsu and Akazukin explored the samurai’s home, Minobi was sitting at the kiddie table with Jin.
“Sooooo~!” The “stinky” woman cooed to Hachiman, her head resting in her propped hands. “How’s living with Mr. Keshin? I always thought that would be weird.”
For some reason, she seemed enraptured with the Ōtsutsuki woman. Perhaps it was because she didn’t have many people to talk to - aside from her father and Ritsu, of course.
”My patience wanes. I have already said I have no intention on humoring you.”
”Girl, I told you: I don’t even know what that means!” Minobi laughed, looking at what Jin was drawing; a dragon.
”So, which one of you is the artist? You or Mr. Keshin?”
”Keshin. In Ōtsutsuki society, such things are not praised nor nurtured.”
”Ah…” She replied, continuing to watch Jin make her dragon. “That’s cute! Mr. Keshin pulled you out of that, and you got him to be more nice!”
”He used to hate me, and ignore me every time I talked. He says ‘Hi’ to me now - ever since you guys got together.”
Minobi patted Jin on the head. She was ignored.
”And now you guys got a cute little family. I wish Ri-Ri would give me a baby…”
Jin looked up at Minobi.
”How are babies made?”
“That’s a GREAT question! I’m basically a professional at this kinda stuff!”
Hachiman’s Ketsuryūgan pulsated with power, eliciting an uncomfortable squirm in Minobi’s muscles, from head to toe.
“Do not pollute her mind with your obscenities.”
She twitched, then gasped.
”Whoaaa…”
Minobi’s eyes were wide with wonder.
“DO IT AGAIN!”
”Damn she’s crazy,” remarked Akazukin as he trailed through the door with Ritsu in tow. “How do you deal with that?”
“It’s a learning process,” said the girl’s boyfriend. “You get used to it.”
The woman in question turned her head to the pair. She looked at Ritsu with watery eyes.
”Y-You think I’m… crazy?”
Jin laughed. “Cwazy lady…”
The door would click open, and lo and behold, the Sixth God appeared. He had several large brown bags clutched in his arms - first thing he did after his resurrection was grocery shop.
Hachiman wasn’t exactly good at picking out food. Keshin couldn’t fault her, though; she was an alien.
”Hi, Daddy!” Jin said, waving at her father. “Weird people are here.”
“Mr. Keshin!” Minobi said, jumping up from her tiny chair. “I was coming to-“
”Get out my house.”
”See! I knew you weren’t invited!” Announced Akazukin as he sat down on the couch once again. “Sayonara!”
Keshin turned his attention to his pet drug addict.
”I ain’t give you permission to be here either. Come back tomorrow.”
He stepped past everyone and into the kitchen, laying bags on the counter before rubbing his eyes.
“Y’all clear out. Now.”
Ritsu’s own eyes shone with interest, albeit only for a brief a moment, before he stepped over to Minobi and wrapped his arm around her chest despite the woman’s profane protests.
“Nice seeing you again, Keshin. You have my regards.” There was a subtle sibylline tone to his voice, but before one could inquire he and Minobi where gone.
“He could have offered me a ride…” mumbled Akazukin as he shuffled out of the door and gently closed it behind him.
The Sixth sighed, shaking his head and walking over to Hachiman. He towered over her from behind and placed his hands on her shoulders.
”Sorry if they made you angry.” Her husband said in a lazy tone. “Minobi’s aggravating. Didn’t want Akazukin here anyways, he knows better than to use that stuff around Jin.”
”The girl was momentarily pleasant,” replied Hachiman as she pulled him into an embrace. “Then she wouldn’t stop talking.”
”She’s stinky.” Jin added, throwing a crayon at Keshin. It bounced off his shoulder and landed onto the floor.
”Hug.”
Her father chuckled as he slipped out of Hachiman’s arms and hopped over to Jin.
“Whatcha drawin’?”
Jin smiled warmly as Keshin picked her up into his arms. She didn’t seem to mind being pulled away from her sketches.
”A dwagon, like the one that beat you up.”
”Ah… I’ve had enough of ‘dwagons’ for a while… why not draw something else?”
”No. Dwagon.”
“How about you draw the stinky girl some more?” offered Hachiman who stood a distance away, fiddling with her hands.
This was what she wanted. But the guilt…
The guilt.
The sun had set, and with that, Keshin’s first day back amongst the living had come to an end. It wasn’t particularly eventful by any means. Jin was too young to understand what actually happened; he planned to keep it that way.
She didn’t need to know her mother killed her father in cold blood.
Speaking of cold, it was cold out here.
Keshin was sitting atop one of the entrances to the compound - the square dojo that had housed a four-way entrance into the samurai’s abode. It was here that he and Hachiman had that… altercation all those years ago.
He was smoking his cigars. He missed his cigars.
”I’m back baby,” said Akazukin’s form walked out of the darkness.
“How’d things go? How’d it feel to die?”
”Thoroughly enjoyed it.” Keshin replied with obvious sarcasm. “It ain’t tomorrow yet.”
He looked out into the dojo below. It was empty, save a few stragglers who were loitering near the opposite entrance. Two or three samurai; they seemed invested in their conversation.
“Where did you even go?”
“I hung out at the tavern, flirted with some women.” He took a seat next to Keshin. “It’s good to have you back.”
”You can’t casually claim to have ‘flirted with women’, then sit so damn close.” The Sixth said, stifling a laugh.
”It sounds like you’re not comfortable in your sexuality,” he responded, withdrawing a smoke stick of his own with a different vice. He pressed his finger against it, the same red glow Keshin himself uses so often appearing to light it.
“Don’t they call that toxic masculinity or something nowadays?”
Keshin burst laughing at that comment, drawing the attention of one of the samurai below.
“Aha… maybe? I wouldn’t know.”
He drew more smoke from his cigar, the two puffing their logs at the same time. When he exhaled, the Sixth would look up at the starry picture above.
”Y’know, when I was dead, my afterlife was pretty strange. Felt like I was stuck in someone else’s world. I could feel them watching me.”
”Who’s to say something like that doesn’t await us all? I, for one, don’t believe a ‘paradise’ will be mine.”
”Obviously not. You get high in front of my kid.”
He wanted to agree with Akazukin, but he knew better. Omoikane being unable to escape even with the Rinnegan proved what he already knew to be true.
His soul belonged to someone else. That whole realm did.
“I’ll find out soon enough.”
"Ah..." replied Akazukin, palm to his nape. "Well I've been thinking about maybe getting some help. I think I may have an addiction."
”Nah.” Keshin said in a curt manner. “Fuck an addiction. I know I ain’t addicted to my shit.”
"I'm being serious," he continued, now looking at his roll differently. "I can't remember the last time I've been one hundred percent sober. Ever since that Ōtsutsuki came down and..." Akazukin tossed his roll onto ground and stomped it out. "Just brought back bad memories when they first took me."
”They probed you, huh?” The Sixth spat cheerily. “Got touched?”
"Fuck you," he replied as he stood and stretched. "I'm crashing on the couch. Don't go off and die again."
”I’ll try. Hachi might kill me in my sleep.”
Akazukin laughed before heading inside, leaving his friend to the chilly nighttime air.
Keshin laughed too, but he couldn’t help but wonder if that was an actual possibility.
Was she really sorry?
Or was it merely a façade?
Act 1: The End of A Kingdom[]
"You do not stoke fear by reaping your enemy’s fields - instead, you burn them." |
"He's crying because he's hungry, dear. Hand him to me."
Uzume stood in the doorway to the royal bedchambers, a hand on her hip. Ikezu was trying, in vain, to calm their newborn.
”Why do I have nipples if I can’t feed him?” Was Ikezu’s response as he floated over to his lover. “Seems like an unnecessary body part for men.”
Passing the child to Uzume, he sat cross-legged in the air and folded his arms across his chest - play-scowling and turning his head away.
“He likes you so much more. It’s not fair.”
Uzume offered the child her bosom, looking down at him with such love in her eyes.
"He's just a baby. He likes what fulfills his needs."
As her chest became exposed, he turned his head back towards her a bit, peeking from the side.
”Yeah, well, I’ll leave you guys to it. If I stick around, I might develop some needs I’ll need fulfilled.”
In a blur, Ikezu was now reclining in the throne room.
The chamber had been renovated extensively. Walls were now a pearly-polished white and seamless. They reflected the light that seeped in through a single glass dome above the magnanimous chair the Neo-White King rested upon. Rays of sunshine - or moonlight - would filter through from up above and illuminate his place in the room with a spotlight effect. The glass also seemed to magnify the brightness of the incoming beams, and as such, no extra lighting was necessary in the throne room.
A pair of guards manned the door, each positioned on either side. They held a bō staff in hands opposite each other, and donned pure white robes. The robes were woven as a single piece, and had no seams or remnants of sewing.
These individuals also sported a mask - the one on the right’s being white with a single black stripe through the middle, while the other’s mask was the exact opposite.
”I wonder where Ajari is…” Ikezu mused, leaning against his arm. “He’s late.”
The man in question had just reached the gates to the kingdom, having only now returned from yet another expedition with Enjaku. The Ūtsuro never seemed to tire, although the Land of Ogres was quite the perplexing nation - there was always something new it seemed.
”Ajari~!” A soft voice called.
It belonged to one of the city’s residents - a beautiful woman with deep black hair and striking blue eyes.
“Whatcha doin’?” She asked, leaning over with her hands behind her back.
"On my way to see the White King, but," he met her gaze with a charming smile. "I can make some time for you."
She grinned, taking his hand in hers and pulling him outside of the city limits.
”Come on! Let’s go to our spot!”
With that, the two would venture out into the open fields that dominated the majority of this region. Uninterrupted, boundless bodies of grass and flowers comprised the central sector of Takachiho.
The spot that Ajari’s companion was referring to was a lone Sakura tree. It was visible from the gates, and did not take too long for the duo to reach.
When they arrived, she would sit down, resting her back against the tree’s trunk.
“I’m so glad the White King returned.” She quipped. “And you’re like, his best friend. I’m so lucky.”
Was that all she liked him for? His connection to Ikezu?
It didn't matter. This fling between them was just for fun.
"So am I." He replied, caressing her face.
The girl giggled, pushing his shoulders so he could stand up straight again. Her hands would then move to the sides of his waist, pulling him a bit closer as she moved into a kneel.
Something caught her eye; her peripheral vision.
”Ungh… who is that?” The woman groaned, rolling her eyes. “No one ever passes here.”
There was someone in the distance.
An unnaturally tall man whose face was mostly obscured by the large bamboo hat he sported - like that of a rōnin’s. A white scarf was wrapped around his neck. He wore loose-fitting, black clothing.
Six swords lined his waist.
The girl shrugged, lightly tugging at Ajari’s waistband and smirking mischievously.
“You wanna give him a show?”
Ajari’s attention turned to the man she saw before nudging her away.
“Sorry, but I think he’s here to speak with me.” He planted a kiss on her forehead. “Get home safe.”
”What? But I wa-“
The tree trembled, as if something of great force had slammed into it. Petals fell and lazily danced around Ajari.
The woman’s head was pinned to the bark by a large katana, whose blade was sticking straight through the side of her head. When Ajari had nudged her, she had scooted back in confusion.
Right into Keshin’s line of sight.
There were no convulsions, no last breaths, no noise.
Horror broke across Ajari face at the macabre sight before him.
”What the fuck!” He shouted before flying over to the waiting Sixth God.
“You killed her in cold fucking blood! For what man?!”
The sword would jump back to Keshin’s outstretched hand, allowing the woman’s skull to release a waterfall of blood. Her body would fall into the tall grass and disappear from their sight.
Keshin adjusted the large, tattered scarf he wore, throwing one of the loose ends back behind his back. It was covered in strange, archaic markings.
“She was already dead.” Was his dry response.
”Yeah, after you murdered her!”
The accused pulled a cigar from the v-neck cut in his haori top. He dropped it in his lips and lit it in one motion.
“I’ll kill you next.” Keshin hissed through the smoke. “Where’s Ikezu?”
“What?” His concern was palpable. “He should be in the castle, it’s where he usually is. What’s going on? What’s happened?”
The rōnin shook his head, hand pressed against his mouth as he ripped the cigar once more. He started off towards the city.
”History’s about to repeat itself.”
The clicks of his sandals against the grass below rang through the meadow. Before Keshin had created too much distance between he and Ajari, he paused.
”I’m not bringing him back this time.”
”Why are going to kill him again?” Asked Ajari as he caught up to Keshin. “As far as I know, he hasn’t really done anything wrong.”
The Sixth was watching a few civilians who were hanging around at the large marble gate.
”My reason ain’t your concern. All I need to know is this:”
The sheathing on one of his swords clicked; his hands gripping the hilt.
”You gonna stop me?”
He knew full well Ajari would be incapable of such a feat. Not even when he had his powers.
“You know I can’t.”
”Then walk me to him.”
Ajari would do him one better.
The distance between them and the throne room became nothing, leaving them standing before the double doors leading inside in an instant.
A little something Enjaku taught him during their time together. A basic application of Wūji.
As soon as they appeared, Ikezu perked up.
”Is that…”
His guards were lifted into the air, grabbing at their throats and gasping for breath. It were as if they were being strangled by an invisible hand, and were dragged up the side of the wall with terrifying force.
Their backs were so hard-pressed that a trail of blood stained the marble white. A skid mark was left in their wake.
The doors slowly opened, and through them walked none other than the Sixth God.
”White King! Help-“
The same force that held the guards would snap the neck of the servant girl who had called out to Ikezu. She was scantily clad in white - now with her head having been rotated at a ninety-degree angle, and lying on the cold floor.
Ikezu stood up from his throne, horrified.
”You…” He muttered as the guards choked. “Why..?”
Before anyone could answer, another man came barreling through the doors, a red cloak billowing behind him.
“I’ve got your back Ke-“
He saw the broken woman left on the floor, her face contorted with agony.
“No…“ he said as he walked over to her, a tear trailing down.
He fell to his knees.
“NOT THE WOMEN KESHIN!” He sobbed, cradling the servant girl. “NOT THE BEAUTIFUL WOMEN!”
The guards both fell to the ground.
”Relax.” Keshin muttered, ripping his cigar again. “You can have Ikezu’s bitch when we’re done here.”
”Are the charges planted?”
Akazukin wiped his eyes then stood back up. All previous distress was apparently gone.
“Yup! Everything’s in place.”
”What’s in place?!” Ikezu roared, floating into the air. “Why are you here?!”
Keshin tossed his cigar onto the floor, stepping on it and looking up at the lofty Celestial.
“To kill you. Duh. Ajari showed me where you were.”
When he said this, Ikezu would catch a glimpse of his friend, who was remaining outside. The inevitable feeling called betrayal began to well up inside his chest.
He’d been… sold out? After everything he’d given to Ajari?
“He wouldn’t.” Ikezu snapped.
“AJARIII!”
A sinking feeling bogged down Ajari's thoughts as he entered. This was expected, but it hurt nonetheless.
But Ikezu had claimed to be untouchable and that "all things were within his reach". Ajari, comparatively, was not. If he truly was, then why was Ikezu afraid.
"Ikezu, I'm-"
”THIS WAS ALL FOR YOU!” His friend screamed, pain all in his voice. “AND UZUME - FOR US!”
It wasn’t as though he feared Keshin, but why would his friend bring him here? Why hadn’t he come by himself first, and they could deal with Keshin together.
Ajari had just cost three innocent people their lives. For what?
”These people have suffered enough, why didn’t you come alone?”
Keshin looked at Akazukin, mocking Ikezu with a talking hand motion.
“Blah blah blah, I’m gonna die.” He mumbled.
”Oh no! You betrayed me! My feelings hurt.” Joined in Akazukin.
He turned to Ikezu, his usual grin donned.
“Bird guy here was either going to die like those poor bastards or show us the way. Sucks to suck.”
Ajari stepped forward.
“Ikezu, I’m sorry. He just showed up and with a purpose. You know there’s no getting away from him. This isn’t what I wanted to happen!”
“SHUT UP!”
The very continent trembled when Ikezu’s voice boomed.
“You’re my-“
A sword was protruding from Ikezu’s chest. He looked down, moreso in disbelief than pain.
”Well. I guess that didn’t work.” Keshin sighed. “I kinda forgot he’s immortal.”
Ajari started to move, as if he was going to interfere, but Akazukin grabbed the man, locking his arms behind his back and placing a hand against his nape.
“Move, and I’ll blow your head clean off.”
Ikezu would slowly pull the sword from his chest, black liquid dripping from its shiny blade. He was trembling.
Not from pain, but from rage.
”LET HIM GO!”
The dark slop that coated the blade would suddenly morph into a large tendril that oozed of the Abyss. It twisted and flourished bigger until its girth were that of a human arm - its length tenfold.
The appendage would lurch forwards with a screech, screaming through the air while remaining attached to Keshin’s blade.
It was dead set on piercing Akazukin’s neck.
The sheer force of the impact sent the hooded man and Ajari sprawling, the former being throttled mercilessly. As for the latter…
He was lying on the marble floor, a pool of blood forming beneath him.
The horrible sound of gurgling filled the air.
The tendril had met it mark.
But it was uncoordinated.
Ajari’s own throat had been scored as well.
Keshin rolled his eyes.
”This motherfucker…”
Ikezu teleported to Ajari’s side, obviously freaking out.
”No… no, no, no…”
”Yes, yes, yes.” The Sixth taunted. “Look at you.”
He snatched the blade, using his telekinesis, from Ikezu’s hand, the tendril having dissipated after striking the sage. Keshin flicked it to the a few times to ward off the accursed goo.
”Jashin big shot turned king of a forgotten kingdom. Couldn’t feel accepted among the living, so you went around and brought back the dead.”
Ikezu did his best to tune out Keshin’s words, frantically coddling Ajari’s upper body. He cradled him, too disoriented by the fact he’d struck his friend.
”Killing your best friend, dooming your girl, and guaranteeing that every single citizen here dies a second time.”
”No… stop-stop-stop… Ajari-“
The White King was caressing his friends face, shivering and breathing raggedly.
His only friend.
”It was a good plan, I’ll admit. In a world without me, you’d be a god.”
”Shh… I’ll save you, buddy. I’ll save you. Don’t listen to him. I-I am a hero.”
Keshin scoffed.
”History will not see it that way.”
His tone was chilling and stern. Ikezu’s eyes grew wide.
”Hero my ass,” grumbled Akazukin as he joined Keshin’s side.
The hole in his neck had already healed.
As a being who too could manipulate the Abyss, such meager damage was usually fleeting, especially while treading its epicenter.
“Look at what you did. You’re a monster.”
”It’s okay, buddy. Here, rest.”
Ajari’s body would disappear, a white light flashing for a millisecond in his wake. After he had transferred his friend elsewhere, he stood up straight.
Tears were running down his face.
”I’m not the monster, okay?”
His voice was cracking, from emotion, but also from…
”I’m not the monster...” A little boy’s voice said.
Keshin’s eyes grew wide.
”Akazukin, go. Get out the city.”
Without even questioning him, Akazukin booked it out of the door.
“Don’t you fucking die again! Or I’ll bury you under this castle!”
Ikezu’s blank stare would turn black.
Akazukin would be yanked from his path to freedom, and would sail through the air towards Ikezu without explanation.
“Fuck!” Keshin cursed, sheathing his sword.
He should have known. Ikezu had complete control over the Abyss now. By principle, Akazukin’s body was just a plaything in his hands.
Just before the young man made contact with Ikezu, the Sixth would appear between them.
He caught his friend - bridal style - and leapt upwards towards the glass dome above. As Ikezu turned to pursue, shards of glass fell, and a large, gaping hole dominated the center of the semicircle.
”No…” He muttered, having reclaimed his voice.
Topside, Keshin was running across the top of the palace. Since it was at the very back of the city, he could easily clear the outer wall from here.
“I’m an idiot.” He mumbled, wooden shoes clicking wildly as he sprinted. “I forgot your dumb ass uses that goop.”
Akazukin was positioned quite comfortably in the Sixth God’s arms, still massaging his neck.
“Damn really? It’s like the second thing I’m really good at…”
”Oh yeah? What’s the other thing? Getting high?”
Keshin sneered as he jumped from the rooftop, clearing the wall with minimum effort. He held onto Akazukin extra tight, making sure he didn’t lose his cargo in the process.
”I think you’re enjoying this shit.” Remarked the Sixth as they descended. “It’s kinda gross.”
”The fabled Sixth God,” responded the hooded man with his usual grin. “Still not secure in his preferences. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
“But since we’re far away enough now,” Akazukin held his fingers aloft in a snapping position. “We could start the fireworks.”
They hit the ground with a WOOSH! and a clack of the shoes, Keshin didn’t stop running.
”You ain’t getting no sleep tonight. I’ll make sure me and Hachi are extra loud when I run a victory lap in her cheeks.”
”Fire away.”
With a snap, explosions rocked the countryside, fire, smoke debris, and Abyssal fragments soaring into the sky. Brilliant colors danced against the twilight, while entire homes and towers collapsed from just the aftershocks. Wails and screams echoed across the land, each being snuffed out in time as the devastation spread.
In one fell swoop, this once flourishing kingdom raised from its ashes, has once again returned to rubble.
“I never get tired of it,” sighed Akazukin with a satisfied look.
”Good jo-“
Ikezu appeared in front of them, eyes blackened. One of his arms had been completely overtaken by the Abyss - dark and double its normal size.
”Die.”
Keshin would throw Akazukin to the side and draw one of his blades in response. Weaving to the side, the Sixth grimaced and slashed upwards.
His blade became lodged within Ikezu’s now-Abyssal skin. Goopy and malleable in structure, the dark liquid began to mold and adhere to the blade’s form.
“Oh, fuck off!” Keshin hissed as his blade did the same. Burning bright red, he forced the blade upwards once more, severing the limb completely. Ikezu, however, didn’t flinch in the slightest.
Rather, as his arm fell to the grass below, his other would fly at Keshin in the form of a punch. The aforementioned, who already had a skyward momentum, would pivot and leap. Keshin grabbed Ikezu’s arm from midair and would bring it with him as he fell behind.
He pulled across his chest, seeking to throw him in classic jiujitsu fashion.
Except Ikezu didn’t budge. Keshin’s head whipped around as he realized he couldn’t simply grapple this immovable force. It was like trying to move a mountain with one’s bare hands.
The White King would flail his arm to the side, never breaking eye-contact with Keshin as he did. This sent the Sixth flying and flipping through the air. A few failed attempts to regain his balance resulted in his body slamming against the ground - followed by curses.
After a few of these occurrences, Keshin would catch himself on some firm footing, and skidded backwards with swords in hand; two in his right, one in his left.
“Lovely.”
Akazukin was nowhere to be seen, having taken the opportunity to stow himself away. Unfortunately he’d just be a liability.
”Good.” Keshin said in a satisfied tone.
Ikezu was staring at him with a blank look - the new usual. Drops of the Abyss fell from where the Sixth’s blade had severed his arm.
In this form, such injuries were of no big deal. The torn skin and muscle began to audibly squelch and squirm, rippling and tearing open at the wound. A new, fleshly hand would pull itself out from the hole. Slowly, it stretched out from his body until it was restored to its original length.
With a snap, it was back in place.
”That’s… gross.” The rōnin commented. “You’re gross.”
Ikezu said nothing, opting to take action instead. In a millisecond, he was behind Keshin, fists coated in a malevolent white aura. He was looming just above the Sixth’s back as he swung downwards to crush him.
Pivoting to the side, Keshin narrowly dodged the blow, only for Ikezu to slam into the ground adjacent to him. The tremor his foe caused would cause him to wobble a bit.
He tried a foot into Ikezu’s side with a kick, but it was like kicking a rock. Keshin’s sandles shattered upon contact, splintering into his feet.
“Fuck!” He roared, wincing in pain. Drawing a sword and planting it into the ground next to him, he used it as a lever to vault into the air.
Ikezu was already behind him again.
Shogyōmujo was not easily fooled - Keshin sensed his opponent’s moves; the issue was keeping up.
This was the fastest opponent he had ever battled. It was baffling.
Ikezu’s fist connected with the Sixth’s back. He would be sent flying into the earth below, crashing into the exact spot the White King had struck previously. Rock and dirt flew into the air as Keshin’s body hit the floor.
He was down, but not lying down. Having used his drawn swords as a means to catch himself, he crouched within the hole. Keshin gripped his earthbound swords and gritted his teeth, smiling.
“Fuck… you hit hard.”
Ikezu was on him again. As his foe leaned on his blades, arms outstretched, the king appeared right in front where his head was. Considering Keshin’s full wingspan was extended, he figured he’d hit him while he was still recuperating.
The White King swung with devastating speed and force, but his punch struck an invisible wall.
Keshin’s favorite trick - building a wall of air.
”Dickhead.” He muttered. As soon as Ikezu wobbled from striking something he couldn’t break, Keshin retrieved the lone sword on his left from the earth.
He appeared on the other side of Ikezu, blade humming red. The White King’s torso fell onto the grass below. Keshin knew it would be his downfall if he left him alone for a mere second.
Spinning around, he would slap a palm onto Ikezu’s chest, wincing. Kinetic energy building in his palms.
A loud boom rang through the meadow, and the ground around the two began to fly skywards. The Sixth followed suite.
Ikezu flew the opposite direction - through the ground. From Keshin’s ever-growing bird’s eye views, the White King was tunneling deeper and deeper into the earth below.
Keshin wondered how far he’d go.
”Damn, he’s tough.” Voiced Akazukin as he emerged from his hiding spot. “I’ve got a little something for the fucker.”
In his hands were a heavy, red blastic charge.
He dropped it down the hole then took several big steps back.
“One… two… three… four… five… si-“
An explosion BOOMED! underground, quaking the very earth. Smoke rose from out of the hole, the gruesome stench of scorched Abyssal contents wafting up.
Keshin would land on the ground just in front of Akazukin.
“That probably ain’t do shit, huh?”
”It had a good bit of Abyssal essence in it. It probably ain’t do much, but it had to sting some.”
”Well, let’s hope that it-“
Ikezu appeared in a blur, having swiped across Keshin’s figure at a speed he and his companion were unable to track accurately. His newly-regenerated limb was stretched out behind him.
Blood flew through the air.
Much of it would spatter onto Akazukin’s already red cloak. The rest would hit his face. Keshin fell backwards, clutching his own and screaming.
Most likely, this was a sight Akazukin was not used to.
Ikezu lazily floated, turning his head to relish the sight of the writhing Sixth God. His hands covered his eyes.
Or where his eyes had once been. A profuse stream of blood ran between his fingers and down his arms.
Keshin continued to shriek in agony.
“Unfortunate,” muttered Ritsu who was reclined in Sora’s favorite armchair while he was out gallivanting with old friends. Minobi was curled up against his chest, asleep. His left iris, a hue of crimson, shone softly, while his sclera was comparable to a starry night sky.
Even amidst the wintry clutches of the Land of Frost, he could clearly observe the events of Takachiho from where he sat. He had seen the ruin of the kingdom, the death of Ajari, and now the destruction of the Sixth God’s precious eyes.
What will happen next? Will things actually progress as foreseen? Or will Keshin defy fate once again?
“Shit, shit, SHIT!” Shouted Akazukin as he rushed over to Keshin, holding his hands forward, ready to blow back anything Ikezu sent towards them.
Ikezu didn’t move. He simply stared Akazukin down, eyes reverting to their usual white.
”You’re awfully confident.” He quipped, bringing the hand that had struck Keshin to his chest. Between his middle finger and the two adjacent were Keshin’s eyes.
”I’m just taking back what’s rightfully mine. I’ll need them to repair the damage you’ve done.”
”Oh really? Well, you got ‘em. Now fuck off.”
The White King didn’t look amused.
”Keshin never used these eyes to begin with. You think he won’t try to kill me without them?”
As if on queue, the pair of slimy spheres burst into blood.
“No…”
Keshin was now crouched behind Akazukin, gasping for air with an outstretched hand. It was apparent he’d used his telekinesis to crush the Eyes of Cosmic Duality.
”F-Fuck off.” He griped. “Akazukin’s weak. Leave his twink ass alone.”
”Only I bully him, shithead.”
His eye sockets had been cauterized; one of the many perks of Tenseijin. His cheeks were coated in a thick layer of dried blood.
”And I did use those eyes. My wife… just got a fat ass.”
”Twink?!”
Akazukin loosed an explosion from his hands, covering the trio in a thick layer of acrid smoke.
Ikezu didn’t seem to bother pursuing. It was pointless, after all.
He could see it now - Keshin’s fate.
He would die at the Hunger’s hands.
Some distance away, Keshin and Akazukin would emerge from a portal. The dark, blocky tear in space would drop the duo off at the Sakura tree Ajari had been encountered at.
The woman’s corpse was still here, still fresh. Her split skull hadn’t been invaded by wild animals so far.
The Sixth would collapse, leaning against the trunk and heaving. His breaths were strained, and his chest ached. Not as much as his face, of course.
”He really… got me.”
”He snuck you,” replied Akazukin as he began molding several blastic charges - one large and unwieldy, the others handheld. “It happens. Besides, can’t you just make some more eyes?”
Keshin chuckled, wincing. “You think I ain’t try that already?”
He slid one of his sleeves up and tore a wad of it off - makeshift bandages. Bringing them up his head, he began to wind them around his empty eye sockets and the back of his head:
”Hachi won’t be too mad, I hope.”
"Oh she's gonna be pissed."
”Fuck that. I’ma need some victory hea-“
Ikezu appeared in front of the duo as Keshin finished wrapping his eyes. The Celestial wove a single hand sign, smiling.
”This is the end, Keshin.”
Yowohinitsuide would take effect. Akazukin would turn around to face Ikezu at the slowest speed possible, while Keshin jumped up off the ground for what felt like ages. The White King chuckled at the sight.
“It’s over.” He whispered, his hands becoming coated in their white light once more. “I’m coming, Aja-“
Three of Keshin’s blades were now sticking from his abdomen - burning bright red. Ikezu shrieked in pain as he wobbled.
Being burnt from the inside out was painful, even for a god-like being.
Keshin was behind him, cradling Akazukin and panting. It seemed as though his friend was still under the effects of the technique.
He tossed Akazukin onto the ground behind him. There was some distance between he and Ikezu now - they’d finish things here.
“C’mon, bitch.”
Yowohinitsuide vanished, having been circumvented by Keshin’s Shikisokuzekūjissen. Ikezu opted it were best to save it and catch him off guard.
He had no knowledge of this ability; Keshin was seemingly able to switch between planes of existence. Shocking.
”That’s the first of your techniques that isn’t just a cheap trick.” Remarked the White King as Akazukin’s butt hit the ground.
“Very well. We end this now.”
Ikezu’s bones began to crack and his skin tore. From inside his body leaked a massive amount of the Abyss’ energy. The darkness would emerge from his shoulders, stomach, and eyes, swirling around his body and swallowing him up.
He turned into a mound of Abyssal slop, only to rise bigger, and bigger, and bigger…
The pile of goo would ascend to several times the Sixth’s height.
”Hey, what’s he doing?” Keshin asked, looking at Akazukin. Without his eyes, he could only “see” the souls of others via his Dharmapāla powers, and feel his surroundings with Yin.
”Is he changing or something?”
Akazukin, still a bit discombobulated by the effects of Yowohinitsuide, rubbed his eyes before taking in what was happening.
“Oh…“ Concern riddled his voice.
He threw his smaller bombs at the growing monster, however the explosions were consumed and snuffed out in moments.
“Oh… He’s, uh, turning into a big Abyssal motherfucker.”
Keshin sighed. “Alright, I can get him when he’s like this.” He stated, Ikezu slowly morphing into the massive black serpent as the Sixth spoke.
”He’s got more surface area now. Makes it easier for me to snatch his soul. You got a camera?”
Akazukin rummaged through his waistpack.
“Nah.”
”Damn. You could have been the coolest uncle ever if you brought Jin a picture of a dragon.”
”I already am!”
With that, he withdrew another blastic mold except he defused it and was far more careful with shaping it.
“You just worry about saving our asses!”
”I’m tired.” The Sixth mused as the serpent continued to emerge. “You save us.”
”But I leveled the entire kingdom,” he whined, his vision darting between the blastic and the Abyssal being growing before him. “And I’m making something special.”
”Alright. Whatcha got in mind?”
Ikezu’s draconic form would burst from the ground, throwing goo in all directions and tearing upwards into the sky. He roared and screeched as he zigzagged into the atmosphere.
In a split-second, he was gone.
”Cinematic.”
Keshin drew a pair of swords, having sheathed them previously.
“I can get him. It’ll be hard to miss him since he’s huge now.”
With a scream, Ikezu began his descent. He burst through the clouds above and wailed in a demonic fashion. The gargantuan black dragon’s claws were spread, and its mouth gaping.
He shot straight for the ground.
”There!” Akazukin admired his latest work. It was a blastic replica of the dragon bearing down upon them in almost professional detail. “She’ll love this!”
He stashed the figurine then withdrew the haymaker he created just minutes earlier.
The Abyss responded to his request and coalesced in his hands, coating the weighty bomb. It then propelled into the air at breakneck speed and right into the dragon’s gullet, seeking to become part of the whole of the representative entity approaching them.
“It’s now or never blindfold!”
Just before slamming into the ground, Ikezu pulled up and sped towards Keshin at a breakneck pace.
Keshin could visualize the dragon’s whereabouts by focusing on its soul. In tandem with Shogyōmujo, tracking his movements weren’t too difficult.
This was how he had to fight now. Would definitely take some getting used to.
The Sixth would sidestep the oncoming dragon’s assault, allowing its body to pass by him. He grimaced as dirt and grass flew up from the sheer momentum the beast had, but didn’t waste too much time dealing with the force in Ikezu’s wake.
Brandishing a burning red blade, he jammed it into the beast’s side.
When Ikezu screamed skywards, Keshin went with him - clinging to his blade for dear life as he dangled during their ascension.
“To think he possesses so much sovereignty of the Abyss,” started Akazukin as he returned to his feet, having dove for cover as Ikezu descended. “It’s almost like he’s the return of Narakunosoku himself.”
“But unlike him, at your core, you’re just a damned celestial now, who fucked around…”
Akazukin raised his fingers once again.
“And is gonna find out.”
He snapped his fingers.
A large “BOOM!” filled the skies above, and Abyss residue would explode out from the stomach of the beast. Ikezu shrieked in pain, whipping his form about as he climbed into the clouds.
Keshin, on the other hand, was scaling the dragon. Sword now in his other hand, he had been climbing Ikezu’s long body while using the blades like ice picks.
He was already halfway to the top - his stamina seemingly knew no bounds.
The gaping hole in the serpent’s stomach began to slowly close as he plateaued amongst the fluffy gray clouds above - now moving at insane speeds through the evening sky. Orangey-pink light bouncing off his black body and reflecting onto the clouds just below him.
He spun, flailed, and whipped around. Keshin would not fall.
And he was approaching his head.
“GET OFF!” The dragon roared in a multilayered tone. “GET OFF!”
”GET OFF! GET OFF! GET OFF! GET OFF!”
Having secured a comfortable position on Ikezu‘s lower neck, Keshin had sheathed both his swords. He was running for the beast’s head now.
A wormhole ripped open underneath the sprinting Sixth. Its counterpart appeared in front of Ikezu.
When Keshin reamerged, he was holding a large nail above his head - the Műnashikugi.
With the two of them heading towards each other at such a fast pace, it was impossible for either to redirect their momentum.
This was it.
”Well I’ll be damned,” Akazukin’s eyes scoured the cloudy skies above. “It actually hurt him.”
A shadow fell in the distance, spiraling down to crash into the ruined nation.
He sighed and began his trek.
“And of course it’d land way back there.”
The massive beast would slam into the middle of the now-ruined square of the capital city. All around his fallen body were ruined buildings covered in flames, shattered pavement, and pieces of civilians who had been blown to bits by Akazukin’s assault.
Now there was a crater in the center to top it off, Ikezu at the bottom. It seemed that as soon as he’d made contact, he reverted to his base form.
The shirtless cultist laid there, arms to the side and looking straight up.
Straight up at Keshin, who was looking down from the top of the crater. He had stowed away the nail he’d used to revoke Myōshiki’s powers, and was simply looking down with a smirk at the defeated White King.
”That’s cute.” The Sixth quipped. “Ajari gets to watch.”
Wide-eyed, Ikezu would turn his head to the side.
Ajari was lying there. He was healed, but still weak. It seemed as though the nail had dragged whatever was stored within the Issuinoyume back into its original plane.
“N-No. G-Get… away…”
Ikezu tried to send Ajari back, but he didn’t have the strength.
He’d lost.
Both men would be flung out from the hole by Keshin’s telekinesis and slammed into the ground behind him. Ikezu lurched when his back struck the broken stone, coughing up blood.
”Gods… damn…” huffed Akazukin as he came to a halt and hunched over, trying to catch his breath.
“This running… shit… is for the… birds.”
Keshin would squat next to Ikezu on the side opposite of Ajari. He reached out, palming Ikezu’s face and wrapping his fingers around his skull.
“This will be the third time I’ve killed you.” He said in a calm, serious tone.
“Any last words? You fought bravely.”
Only Ikezu’s mouth was exposed. The rest of his face was completely covered by Keshin’s large hand. Tears still managed to squeeze their way through, and ran down his cheeks freely.
”Where’s… Uzume?”
“Likely dead with everyone else,” answered Akazukin as he stomped his boot onto Ajari’s back, the thin bones of his wings cracking, and leaned onto his knee.
Ajari gasped in pain, but alas, was too taxed to fight back.
“Ughhh,” he groaned trying in vain to sit up. “W-why…“
”I-It’s my fault, Ajari.” Ikezu whimpered, Keshin’s hand threatening to crush his head.
“I should have… listened to you. I’ve become a d-danger with this power.”
Keshin smiled.
”No, not at all. Your plan was nearly flawless, and your heart was pure.”
”You just happen to possess Myōshiki’s power, which you’ve controlled perfectly.”
The Sixth God would pull a cigar from his pocket, light it, and puff on the cancer stick slowly. He pulled the log away from his mouth and down to his side, other arm dangling loosely with smoke in hand.
“I just don’t fucking like you, Ikezu.”
Ikezu’s breath became ragged, shaky, and much faster. He wanted to scream, but didn’t have the power to do so.
If he’d done the right thing, why was he being persecuted?
”No… I-“
Minobi stirred against Ritsu’s chest, sleepily shifting to a more comfortable position. He stroked her hair then sighed, watching the sufferings of Takachiho reach their coda.
Right, wrong, good, evil.
None of that matters now, Ikezu.
Your fate was decided long before.
Keshin’s hand would peel off Ikezu’s skull, dragging his soul along with him. The cultist screamed and reeled as he fought to keep his soul, crying out in agony.
He wasn’t strong enough to resist the Sixth. After the briefest struggle, he had been reaped.
The White King was dead.
A scream pierced the air and a being slammed into Akazukin, sending him sprawling.
It was Uzume. Her makeup runny, her dress in tatters, abrasions and burns besmirching her body.
Pure, unadulterated rage evident on her face.
A sheet of paper fell from her body and landed onto the broken man beneath her, to which he then vanished from this world.
She then faced Keshin Enenra. The killer of her dearest husband.
“You.”
”How DARE you!”
Keshin, bringing his hand to his mouth, would consume the soul of the woman’s late husband. He chewed at the air, relishing Ikezu’s spirit.
The Sixth’s wounds began to heal at a rapid pace. Bruises and cuts that lined his skin would dissipate with a wisp and a sizzle of the skin. Keshin was completely revitalized.
“It’s done.” The rōnin said. “Go home.”
A hint of sarcasm in the latter half.
Uzume slowly began to disappear, her body seemingly turning into ink from bottom to top.
She would have no chance at taking on the Sixth God. Not now in current state. Perhaps not ever.
But that shall remain to be seen.
Their child was secure. Ajari had been saved.
Her otter, her dear otter…
”You will rue this day, Keshin Enenra.”
“Rue this day…”
The Ōtsutsuki was gone, her threat hanging in the stifling, smoky air.
“Uh-huh.”
He turned his head, locking in on the spiritual presence behind him. Keshin’s attention was turned to something else.
A terrified woman, clinging to her son - a child no older than Jin. Killing the king wasn’t enough; his citizens did not belong here.
This land was nothing but the memoir of a dead man.
Genocide.
“Oh?” Hachiman was awakened by the sound of someone fumbling and falling through the door to her home.
She shuffled out of the bedroom and beheld Keshin spread out on the floor, having tripped across the threshold.
“How’d you fall?” She asked coming over to help him up. “And… why are you covered in blood and soot?”
Jin was lying on the couch, sound asleep, swaddled in a blanket and surrounded by pillows. Her father’s fall didn’t even make her stir.
”Uh…”
Keshin picked himself up, rising up into a crouch and looking at Hachiman - metaphorically, as he could not see. Before arriving home, he had properly bound his eyes with a row of bandages.
He fumbled with his hands, feeling around for his hat.
“I forgot the kiddie table was there.” He mused, quickly throwing the hat atop his head and using it to shield his eyes.
Hachiman’s Byakugan focused and see beheld what he was shamefully hiding.
“WHAT HAPPENED-,” Hachiman caught herself mid sentence and lowered her voice several octaves. “What happened to you?” She hissed.
He cringed, moreso when she lowered her voice.
“I killed Ikezu.” Was his response. “He was getting too comfortable with Myōshiki’s power, so I put an end to it.”
”When he took my eyes, he did something to me. Can’t heal these shits.”
”Why? Why must you take it upon yourself to do these things?! Why do you never think of the consequences?!”
”Shhh.”
He pointed to Jin.
“Cuz nobody else is gonna stop Myōshiki.”
Keshin removed his hat as he rose, tossing it onto the sofa near his daughter’s feet. He was starting to get used to constantly applying Shogyōmujo; didn’t take too long to adjust.
“Lost my eyes at the worst time.”
”Well you could have lost your life too, going out there all alone like a senseless fool.”
”Hey, I had Akazukin.” The Sixth said, matter of factly. “And he did a good job.”
His hand would find its way to the top of her head. He patted her, smiling in a casual manner.
“That was easily one of my hardest fights. He even turned into a dragon. Jin would have loved it.”
“Both of you are idiots,” she replied. But his smile was contagious and one crept onto her face. Hachiman sighed and hugged the man, holding him close.
“But I guess you’re my idiot.”
He flinched when she hugged him, arms awkwardly hugging the air behind her for a moment before he loosened up and reciprocated. This blind thing was going to take some getting used to.
“Oh, he made something for Jin.”
He would reach into his pocket with his left hand, and pull out the figurine his companion had made in between their committing of war crimes. It was a draconic being that resembled Ikezu’s form down to the finest detail - save the color. Keshin held it near his stomach so it was eye-level with Hachiman.
“I can’t tell if it looks good or not. I’m blind.”
”It… it’s actually quite good. Expertly made. All that talent once lost to addiction seems to have returned.”
She carefully took the sculpture and placed it on the kiddie table amid Jin’s beloved coloring books, then took her husband’s hand into her own.
“Come, let’s get you cleaned up then. I’m sure you’re exhausted and more than ready to sleep.”
Keshin nodded, following her to the bathroom.
These last few months had easily been the best of his life. Waking up everyday and living amongst the samurai, raising his daughter, and spending time with his beloved wife - it was a blessing. Even though he couldn’t see anymore, Keshin was grateful for each and every moment he spent with Hachiman.
Ever since he’d lost her the first time and she’d returned - since he returned - he rarely went out. Other than getting groceries, maintaining his own strength and discipline, he never went anywhere without his wife and child.
He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for robbing Ikezu of this bliss. For a fraction of a second, he apologized inwardly.
Nonetheless, Myōshiki had to be dealt with. If he was following the same pattern he had before, then Keshin would have three months to prepare for the Hunger’s imminent return. This time, in his full, fleshly form.
For now, he’d concern himself with getting cleaned up. Hachiman was right; he was exhausted.
She had to help him in the bathroom a bit, as he couldn’t see. They spent well over an hour getting him completely cleaned and changed into a comfortable robe. It was his favorite piece of clothing that he owned: a pink kimono covered in simple flower printings. Like all of his clothing, it was handmade for him specifically, and had the extra room inside in order to fit his frame loosely.
Keshin loved baggy clothes.
He and Hachiman had a full dinner, specially prepared by her, and were now sitting in the same spot he and Akazukin had spoken at regarding their plan the other night.
Keshin was puffing one of his cigars, dangling his legs over the side of the roof. His attention was set upon the stars above.
“-he freaked out cuz a servant girl was caught in the battle.” Was the tail end of Keshin’s story. He was recounting the events of Takachiho to Hachiman.
“I swear, he got on his hands and knees and cried. Yelled out ‘Not the beautiful women!’ It was ridiculous.”
”He replaced his substance vices with that of lust,” remarked Hachiman with smile. It was an amusing story. “At least he was an advantageous accomplice - I must say, he is now somewhat more… acceptable since becoming a samurai.”
Keshin nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he’s doing good for himself. I like that kid, a lot.”
”He’s a good friend. Gods know I need one.”
Hachiman leaned her head against Keshin’s shoulder, suppressing the urge to knock the cigar out of his hand. If Myōshiki didn’t kill him, these things most certainly would.
“I’m happy you came back to me.”
”Yeah.”
Despite her persona, he could tell something was bothering her. Maybe not directly, but underneath the surface and in the back of her mind.
He knew what it was. Keshin had a near death experience just hours ago, and imagined that wasn’t easy to hear for Hachiman. Because she was his wife, of course, but also because…
”You don’t have to feel guilty, you know that, right?”
”I know. That does not mean I will cease to feel as such though. Not for some time I believe.”
”I knew it. It’s cuz I’m blind.”
He had pointed this out over a dozen times since returning home.
Keshin sighed, pressing his fingers together as he opened his hands up. They rested neatly between his legs as he looked into the sky.
“But you shouldn’t feel that way.”
”I killed you.”
”I killed you first.” Was his quick response. “We even now.”
”There’s no winning this argument with you is there?”
Keshin shook his head.
“It’s not an argument, it’s just a stupid thing to drag out for so long. I’m the victim, not you, and I ain’t mad or upset. I’m just happy to be here with you and Jin.”
Chuckling after, he laid back, resting against the cool tiles of the dojo’s roofing.
“You’ve more than made up for that little altercation. Hell, you cook now, and it’s good shit.”
“Ah, so all I had to do was put aside my martial ways and cook? Such priorities.” She said with a mocking smile.
Hachiman stretched and stood before placing a hand on Keshin’s shoulder.
“Shall we retire for the night?”
”That’s not what I meant!” Keshin laughed, playfully swatting her hand away. “It was just a surprise, that’s all.”
He stood up, grinning.
“I ain’t ‘retiring’ tonight. Ikezu was the warm up. You ‘bout to get the seventh sword.”
Act 2: Blood and Vitriol[]
"This… anger, this… curse has damaged me beyond repair. Please… learn from my mistakes in life. Learn to forgive. Do it for yourself, if not for me. I cannot even enjoy the sunset anymore because of His hate polluting my heart." |
“What do you MEAN I can’t have a puppy?!” Minobi whined as she flopped onto the sofa. She and Ritsu were at her home in the Land of Frost.
“You’re not my dad, I want a puppy!”
”I’m your dad.” Sora grumbled as he colored a children’s coloring book at the kitchen table. “I ain’t getting you a puppy. You can’t even take care of a fish.”
”HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW HE DIDN’T WANNA GO FOR A WALK?!”
The nearest window suddenly shattered, a crystalline object barreling through it and slamming against the wall.
Sora continued what he was doing, not worried in the slightest. Minobi, on the other hand, shrieked and threw a pillow at the projectile.
“ALIENS!!”
The object turned out to be a geometric bird made entirely of gorgeous sapphire. A dark smear that smelled of old blood was across its beak and a curious technological attachment strapped to its left leg.
It righted itself then hopped over to Ritsu who was reclined in Sora’s beloved armchair, having also opted to ignore the recent happenings. Strange things like this seemed to happen a lot here.
The bird clawed off the piece of machinery then pecked it in the center.
The device hummed and a miniature, holographic woman popped up from it.
“Greetings Ritsu Sakaki.”
Minobi would jump from the couch once the woman materialized, hands on hips and scowling.
”WHERE DO ALL THESE BITCHES COME FROM?!” She roared, stomping over to the hologram. “LEAVE US ALONE!!”
Her father turned his attention from his book for a moment, eyeing the hologram curiously.
“Huh. That’s cool.”
”It’s a recorded message, Minobi,” clarified Ritsu as he gave it his full attention. “She can’t hear you.”
”I am Megumi Yamashita. Heiress of the Yamashita Family and a Lady of the Land of Precious Stones.”
The Yamashita Family? A message recorder this advanced was clearly Sakaki tech. Did they…
He bit his tongue and continued to listen.
“I ask you to please return to Nishino. Lord Banri of the Land of Springs and Geysers has been missing for five days. He has before told me you are one of the few people he trusts. That you are his only friend.”
“Lord Banri’s presence helped maintain peace and order across Nishino since the first appearance of the kaijū. Without him, it will surely fall. Whether to the kaijū or to the growing facist threat has yet to be determined.”
The hologram disappeared.
”Ewww… politics.” Sora said with a hint of disdain. “That sounds awfully boring.”
Minobi nodded along with the message, unsure of what exactly the subject of its contents were, but she pretended to comprehend it nonetheless.
”Uh-huh. Wow. Sounds serious.”
”It does sound boring,” Ritsu agreed. “If not for the promise of these kaijū, perhaps I’d more consider refusing. Banri did tell an interesting recount some months ago.”
And to see how and what the Yamashita were doing with Sakaki tech. If Banri let them pillage his family’s estate he’d find him just to kill him.
”Well, have fun. Keep Minobi out of trouble.”
”I ain’t goin’!” The woman barked, turning around and flopping onto the couch. She continued to protest, but her words were muffled by the cushions.
Sora looked confused, then looked at Ritsu.
”You two fighting or something?”
”She’s upset that I won’t give her a baby. And a puppy.”
”What kind of idiot would give her a baby?”
Minobi flipped them both off, still facedown in a pillow. Sora got up from the chair, putting his colored pencils away in their case as he did.
”Well, I ain’t staying here with her. I’ll go with you.”
Classic Sora move. But hey, in the setting political unrest perhaps having a reasonable adult with him would be for the best.
The bird remained on standby, as if waiting for something.
The blood stain.
It could operate a means of reverse summoning, perhaps right to this Megumi. Not that Ritsu needed it, but she likely didn’t know that.
“Pack your bags then, I think we’ll be on Nishino for longer than anticipated.”
Politics. A game rigged from the start. But who could have possibly kidnapped Banri of all people?
Or rather, what?
Kamatari was rubbing his chin, sitting on the floor of his living room. He was holding a spread of cards in his other hand, concentrating on the pictures each one held.
Across from him was Jin. She was also holding cards, but far fewer than he was. In fact, she only had two left. The rest of them had already been placed in front of her - all with a matching counterpart. Kamatari had no matches himself, and was trying to figure out a way to win.
“Got any… sharks?”
“What kind?” His sister asked, smiling back at him.
”Uh… there’s multiple kinds?”
”DUHH!” The four year-old said in disbelief. “Kama, look at my cards!”
Upon greater observation, he noticed there was a fat shark, and a shark with an oblong head. There were, indeed, multiple sharks.
“The fat one.” He mumbled, already knowing what the answer would be.
”Go fish!”
The samurai sighed, picking up a card from the deck and muttering a curse. It was not a fat shark, or any other card he had in his hand.
“Your turn.”
”Getting folded by a kid in cards, damn shame.”
Akazukin said this from the couch followed by a yawn, just now waking up from a nap.
Jin giggled.
“I can see them before he draws them! This game is fun!”
This comment would cause her elder brother to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
“Am I holding them funny?” He asked.
”Nope! I’m a fortune teller!”
“So am I,” added Akazukin. He turned over in the couch to properly face the two. “And I don’t see you ever winning”
Kamatari looked at Jin, wiggling the cards in his hand as he peered over them.
“So, if I ask you if you have a match to this middle card, what happens?”
”You’ll draw a card, and I win next turn.” Was her giggly response. Jin seemed to be enjoying herself.
Fortune-telling.
“What about this one?” He asked again, pointing to the card on the far right. Jin’s eyes got big.
”Ohhh, then I’ll have a match!”
”So what is this card?”
”Um… I dunno…”
Kamatari was visibly confused. He looked over at Akazukin, squirming his eyes a bit before making his move.
”So do you have a seahorse?”
“Yup!”
Just as she said, their cards matched, and Kamatari got his first pair of the game. He was more confused about this “fortune-telling” than he had been previously.
“Now how the hell…”
”Don’t say that! That’s a bad word.”
”Sorry. Your turn.”
Jin sighed as she looked through her hand. “You won’t have any of the ones I ask for.”
”I thought you couldn’t see my hand.” Her brother said. “How do you know?”
”Cuz you’ll say the same thing no matter what I ask! Do you have a starfish?”
”Go fish.”
Jin went to reach for her card, hesitating.
“Aw, man. You don’t have this one either.”
”What is it?”
”I don’t know! I can’t see the card yet, Kama!”
Now Akazukin was more interested. The turn of this conversation clearly revealed there was more to this than he thought.
The result of an Enenra and Ōtsutsuki - truth be told, no one could fathom a guess as to what she’ll be capable of. Perhaps this “fortune-telling” bit was just the start.
Sora was standing in the middle of his living room, a large backpack strapped onto his back. Compared to what he was currently wearing (his usual alpaca-style brown poncho and matching beanie), his pink backpack covered in rainbow ponies stuck out like a sore thumb.
”Okay, I’m ready, son-in-law!” He chirped, holding his backpack straps and repeatedly bending and straightening his knees - he looked like a child ready for the first day of school.
Ritsu raised an eyebrow. "......Okaayyy."
He planted a kiss to Minobi's forehead, who was still stewing from earlier, then laid a hand on Sora's shoulder.
"I'm not too sure how smooth this transition will be," Ritsu warned as the crystal bird, which had began flying around almost as if bored, landed in the palm of his hand.
Sora waved at Minobi.
“If I don’t come back, I died - willingly.”
She flipped them both off.
“Bye-bye, Minobi.”
With a puff of smoke, the two men vanished then just as quickly reappeared within a decorous bedroom.
”Wowzerz,” remarked Ritsu’s “father-in-law” as he took in the room. “This looks like one of those homes you’d see on those homebuyer channels. Those are my favorite.”
Sora was right. The room they were just summoned into had a luxurious canopy bed, several crystal fixtures of varying colors hanging from the ceiling, and a window with a view out into the entirety of the city draped by night.
“Oh! You’re here!”
The voice came from a young woman, dressed in pink pajamas, who emerged from the bathroom with a toothbrush in her hand.
She ran up to Ritsu and took his hand in hers, shaking it with admiration in her eyes.
“It is such a pleasure to meet you Mr. Sakaki. I am Megumi Yamashita. First, I want to thank you for all you did to liberate the Land of Precious Stones, no, all of Nishino from the Chakravartin.”
“Don’t mention it,” replied Ritsu, a smile creeping onto his face. “Besides, it was a group effort.”
She released his hand before noticing her current state of dress.
“Oh my, I… I apologize for not being more prepared for you arrival. I didn’t think my message would have reached you at this time of night. I forgot to take into account time zone differences.”
Megumi turned her attention to Sora.
“And who may you be, sir?”
”Oh, I’m just the in-law.” He replied, attention focused on the crystal light fixtures. “Name’s Sora. Sorry if I’m uninvited, pretend I’m not here.”
”Anyone who is with Mr. Sakaki is welcome here. Now if you two will follow me, I’ll be showing you your accommodations while you are here.”
Megumi led the men out and into the hallway, which was just as elegant as her bedroom. In fact, the property turned out to be an awfully quiet mansion.
“This is the Yamashita Family Manor,” she explained as she walked then down the hall. “Before the ‘shadow curse’, these rooms you see were all occupied by my people. But…”
She trailed off for a bit, with a sad expression, before continuing.
“But most of my family died from the curses’s effects. Aside from my brother, Hideo, and I, there are only a handful of us left. And many have decided to leave Nishino altogether.”
”I’m sorry for your loss,” said Ritsu. “I’ve lost my family as well.”
”Huh. We’re all in the same boat.” Sora said as he continued eyeing the crystals. He seemed to take a special interest in them, for whatever reason.
”So Banri was here?”
“Ah yes, uh, Lord Banri. Yes he was here the last time I saw him before he went missing. It was a, um, primarily diplomatic visit.”
She stopped at a door.
“Here is your room, but um, feel free to switch to another if it isn’t up to your liking. There’s more than enough to choose from that aren’t occupied.”
“You may settle in, put down your bags, rest if you would like. Downstairs you’ll find the dining and living area.”
A crash followed by screams came from outside.
Megumi rushed down to the hallway window then cursed to herself.
“Not again!”
She ran back down the hall, turning to her guests as she did.
“I’m sorry for this to happen already, but you must join me outside! A kaijū has attacked!”
Sora had just thrown down his bag. Looking at Ritsu, he sighed.
“Well, I guess we should take a look at that.”
In an instant Ritsu and Sora were outside, debris and fire lining the street. People were screaming and running in terror from a creature that stood as tall as the buildings.
It was a strange, amalgamation of animals: it’s head was that of a bird, it’s body strangely human-like, it’s arms and hands covered in fur, the legs like that of a lion.
Blood spilled from its beak and flesh clung to its fur.
“What the fuck is that?” Said Ritsu as he sidestepped a running passerby.
”Minobi’s puppy.” His friend replied, seemingly unbothered by the creature’s presence. “Though he might not fit in the house.”
Sora was nearly trampled by a woman fleeing the scene. He quickly jumped out of her way before looking back with a scowl.
“Oh, come on. You people act like you’ve never been attacked by a giant monster before. It can be a blessing! That’s how I met Ritsu.”
But Ritsu may as well have been in an entirely different world - he did not react to Sora’s antics.
He was lost in the roar of the kaijū.
Deep down, past it’s vicious exterior, there lied the faintest vestige of an age-old power of something greater that co-existed as a veneer to its already astronomical chakra.
A power far inferior to, but not so unlike the one that now coursed through him.
The kaijū caught sight of him then slammed its hand down towards him.
“MR. SAKAKI! MOVE!”
But he was still entranced. For the first time since his resurrection, he had found something that could begin to explain his “miracle”. Something that could begin to make sense of the impossible. Something that could begin to unravel the truth of the so-called god who brought him back.
Māra, The Sensuous King. Lord of the Sixth Heaven.
A beam of light blasted towards the monster’s hand, disintegrating it into mere ash.
“OPEN FIRE!”
A squadron of soldier carrying hefty chakra cannons followed their orders, shot after shot pelleting the kaijū until it was reduced to nothing more than its horrid head.
“Mr. Sakaki, are you okay?” Megumi’s eyes were filled with worry.
“Huh? Oh, yeah I am.” He replied, having regained his senses. “I would have been fine.”
“Sakaki?”
A man around Ritsu’s age stepped forth from the throng of soldiers, his attire and air clearly displaying that he was their commander.
“Ritsu Sakaki, I’m assuming?”
Megumi placed herself in front of him.
“Yes, Hideo. The Ritsu Sakaki.”
Sora seemed to have been enjoying the show. The chakra cannons used to take down the beast were most impressive. He was glad he had come - many interesting things.
“Hi!” He would coo at this “Hideo” fellow. “I’m Sora, that’s irrelevant, though. Continue to bask in my son-in-law’s glory.”
With that, he would begin to waltz over to where the kaiju’s head laid. He began to mumble something along the lines of “I’ve seen bigger.”
”Glory? Ha!” Replied Hideo, his lip curled up into a sneer. “The only person who pays reverence to him is my dear sister here.”
“Hideo, sto-“
“No! You need to get this through your thick skull. He may have killed the Chakravartin, but he is no hero.”
Ritsu narrowed his eyes at Hideo, but opted to remain silent for now - he was interested to hear what this one would say.
“A hero knows when there is work to do. A hero does what he can for the people.”
Hideo turned to address the gathering crowd, everyone invested in listening to his speech.
“This man, ladies and gentlemen, is the purported slayer of Chihiro no Kimi. The one who lifted the darkness that conquered our lands. The very hero of a family who kept life-saving secrets and technological advancements to themselves for their own gain!”
“The Sakaki!”
“Please, Hideo…”
Sora was uninterested in Hideo’s speech. He seemed completely immersed in the kaiju’s severed head.
“Hmm… not enough juice…” He mumbled, eyes shining with intent. “Kinda lame.”
When he caught wind of the “Chihiro’s slayer” bit, he rolled his eyes.
“Ritsu didn’t kill him. It was the damn fox.”
He said this in a low tone. Megumi seemed to have a lot of faith in Ritsu, and he imagined their visit would have less meaning if Ritsu was revealed to not be the “Chihiro Slayer.” He was sure whatever Ritsu faced here would be of no big deal - he was overqualified.
Yawning, Sora abruptly fell onto his butt and landed in a sitting position. He stared at the beast’s head.
”Then he abandoned Nishino!” Hideo continued, his voice growing stronger. “Leaving us to fend off the kaijū alone. If not for the Yamashita appropriating his fallen family’s work, we would have been eradicated months ago.”
“Lord Banri of the Land of Springs and Geysers has long refuted that claim, Hideo!” Asserted Megumi, still standing staunchly before her brother. “Mr. Sakaki is here now to lend his aid. And… he is under both mine and Lord Banri’s protection.”
“He stood like a fool while the kaijū attacked him. And you clearly see that his aid is not needed.”
“Is that what you believe?”
Ritsu had finally spoken up, his eyes smoldering with repressed anger.
“That kaijū was nothing whatsoever to me - neither are you, so I’d watch what I say, thief.”
“Are you threatening the Chancellor of this nation?” Replied Hideo with a smirk. “You should know your diplomatic immunity has limits.”
“And you should know you have no prison that could hold me, no cannon strong enough to kill me.”
“Hot-blooded aren’t you? Quite different from what Sakaki were known for. Take a look at the woman and child right over there.”
Hideo motioned with his head to a beaten and battered woman who was crying with her child in her embrace. She had shielded her son from falling debris - he was unscathed.
“Before you call me a thief, know that they are who I fight for. They are who I did what was necessary for. And you should know that Banri himself allowed us to take and reproduce your family’s tech. I will say though, that nothing we make will quite reach their excellence.”
Hideo turned on his heel and made a hand gesture. His soldiers turned and began to march back the way they came.
“I do hope you change our plight with the kaijū, Mr. Sakaki. They appear all over Nishino and my forces are the only equipped to adequately deal with them; as such, they are spread quite thin. However their attacks are becoming more frequent. Know that the Land of Precious Stones shall always come first.”
“Oh,” he said as he began to follow his troops. “And I do hope you find Banri, Mr. Sakaki. The Land of Springs and Geysers needs their Chancellor to remain to stable and my sister does miss him dearly.”
Hideo and the soldiers marched through the streets, leaving the newcomers and Megumi alone.
”I’m sorry about that,” said Megumi with an apologetic bow. “I… didn’t want that to be your first meeting with Hideo.”
Sora hopped over, having satisfied his curiosity.
“He’s an ass.”
Rubbing his beard, he eyed the retreating young man with a look that, if Ritsu didn’t know him so well, could have been interpreted as bloodlust.
“Keep your brother in check for me, will you?”
Megumi nodded furiously and began to lead the two men back to her family home.
As for Ritsu his mind was a work. So the Yamashita seized Sakaki tech to defend against the kaijū, at least, that is what Hideo claims. Noble. Put to good use, he would say.
But there were half-truths littered throughout.
There was something off about Hideo. His thoughts were comparatively difficult to read and did not flow like that of a normal human’s. It also seemed he knew more than he was letting on about Banri. He was the Chancellor though, so insubstantial accusations would be more trouble than they’re worth.
The truth of Māra and the lies of Hideo.
All things come to light eventually.
Ritsu would make sure it.
“So, the little dude is Ikezu’s spawn?”
Uneri couldn’t believe his ears.
”What the hell?”
In Ajari’s lap was the sleeping child of Uzume Ōtsutsuki and the late Ikezu. He had recovered quite well from the events of that day, but the same could not be said for Uzume’s mental state.
Since Ikezu’s death, she dedicated all her time to plotting Keshin’s demise and taking everything he held dear. He wouldn’t go as far as saying she neglected the baby, but her time was certainly allocated more towards vengeance.
“Yeah,” replied Ajari, setting down a baby bottle on the side table. “He was even proving to be a pretty good father but…”
Uneri had taken his friend up to his home on his sky island - having finally reconstructed his house in light of recent events. The two were sitting in his living room. Ajari was on the couch, and he himself was sitting in a lounge chair. The young man would prop his feet on the coffee table between them, careful to not hit one of the other bottles Ajari had brought with him.
”I guess I just didn’t see Keshin as that type of person.” The boy in green sighed. “Like, yeah, he’s ruthless. But if Ikezu was really as stable as you claimed, killing him as a preventative measure just seems stupid.”
”Keshin’s key reasoning was, and I quote, ‘I just don’t fucking like you, Ikezu.’.”
”…Ikezu had a kid.” Uneri said shakily. “So…”
”You’re telling me he killed all those people out of spite?”
Ajari nodded. “And it wasn’t just him. He had someone else with him, a guy who could use Explosion Release. According to Uzume, he bombed the entire kingdom with just a snap of his finger.”
”Spite probably played a big part, but I don’t think that was the only reason.”
Enjaku was sitting on the floor next to Ajari, leaning his back against the sofa. The Rinnegan-bearer would nod at Uneri and smile.
”I’m Enjaku. I ain’t gonna hurt your house.”
Uneri wasn’t even fazed at this point. People loved to randomly appear in his home - it was a trend at this point.
“Okay… hi.”
”Oh, hey dude,” said Ajari. “How’ve you been?”
”Uh, doesn’t matter - I didn’t get my country wiped off the map.” The man replied, his face growing serious.
“Sorry for your losses.”
“Appreciated, but sorry doesn’t bring them back. It brings no one back. So don’t sweat it.”
Enjaku nodded before glancing at Uneri, who seemed to be eyeing him while looking confused.
“Right. Well, remember those portals we found? Specifically, the one that was all broken and at the edge of the continent.”
”I found out what it’s for.”
”Uh, portals?” Uneri interjected, scratching his head. “Like the kinds Ōtsutsuki make and go in and out of?”
“Kinda, but these are metal rings that have to be activated. It’s like a set point, rather than the ones aliens will into existence.”
Jīzo would look back to Ajari, urgency painting his heterochromic Rinnegan.
“There’s an Enenra Clan behind that door.”
”… What? Keshin’s clan? Hidden behind the door?”
Uneri’s attention would move to the front door.
”Not that door.” Enjaku quipped, facepalming. He stood up next to Ajari and rubbed the back of his neck.
”The portal. The broken up ring we found before we got teleported back to the castle? That door.”
”Then what are waiting for?” Ajari replied, the baby in his grasp vanished with a swish of ink. “Let’s go.”
”Aha, no.”
Uneri had jumped out of his chair, ready to follow Ajari.
“Why not? Isn’t that bad if there’s MORE of him? Shouldn’t we-“
”Keshin himself is the only member of the clan we’ve seen.” Enjaku said, cutting Uneri off. “Meaning we have next to nothing to go off of in the event we have to fight a whole clan of soul-snatching giants.”
“There’s also the fact that the portal was obviously engineered by someone who possesses my clan’s techniques, but I can’t even open it.”
Uneri tilted his head to the side.
“And what’s your clan’s techniques?”
”Wūji. The stuff Ajari used to get here.”
”Why’re you shifting it onto me?” Ajari asked, folding his arms. “I’m not explaining it to him, it’s literally your clan’s technique. And I only know one.”
”I was just using it as an example, jeez.”
”Anyways, we do know that Enenra are yōkai, and ain’t human in the actual sense of the word.”
”Oh, so he’s like..?” Uneri said, trailing off as a saddened look befell him.
Enjaku didn’t follow. He shook his head and continued talking to Ajari.
”But back to the whole Wūji thing, when Keshin was fighting this Ōtsutsuki guy, he used something that was borderline Wūji Release. Not really sure how he’s accomplishing that, but it made me think.”
The man would plop down onto the sofa, making himself comfortable as he sunk into the cushions.
“Let’s say that Keshin did use Wūji, like real Wūji Release. I can’t open that portal, and neither can the Ūtsuro Clan elders - the only other guys who can use Wūji to the extent that I can.”
”What if the Enenra made the portal, and we can’t open it because it’s their application of my clan’s secrets?”
Uneri was visibly lost.
”Okay, I don’t really get any of this. So, you’re saying there’s an entire clan of Keshins, like the guy who killed an immortal god? Freaky-deaky sword-swinging Keshin?”
His question was answered with a nod.
“Yeah, I spent a lot of time at that spot I was telling Ajari about, and I can just barely see them through the fabric of space-time.”
”It’s hard to tell if they were sealed against their will, or if they did this to themselves. It also poses the question of whether they can open the gate or not.”
”So… what do they want?”
Enjaku shrugged. “Beats me. Can’t get a good enough look to read their minds.”
”You can read minds?”
”Okay, can we stay on topic?”
”So what do you want to do?” Asked Ajari as he brought a booted foot up across his knee.
”Well, there’s the whole Keshin issue, but unfortunately, killing him wouldn’t do us any good.”
Uneri raised an eyebrow.
”You can kill Keshin?”
”Ajari doesn’t think so, at least last time it was brought up.” He responded, nudging the sage with his elbow. “But we’ll see.”
”The issue at hand lies with Myōshiki Ōtsutsuki. By killing Ikezu, Keshin basically guaranteed that the guy is coming back to life.”
”And there’s no way any of us is killing him,” Ajari added. “Only Keshin can. Or perhaps… an Enenra in general. Could that be why they’re sealed away?”
“Y’know, that’s what I thought at first.”
Enjaku leaned back, resting his head and looking up at the wooden ceiling.
“But I’m starting to think that they left on purpose, of their own volition. Keshin’s presence here suggests that he slipped through the cracks and was placed on earth for some reason.”
”I guess we just have to let it pan out.”
”Why is Keshin the only one able to kill Myōshiki?” Uneri inquired. It seemed as though everything this new guy and Ajari spoke about was something he had been left out on.
”Because Myōshiki can instantly rip the chakra from your body. Keshin doesn’t have chakra - which means it just comes down to he and this guy throwing hands.”
”He’s won before, so I’m sure he can do it again. I guess that’s what comes with being a ‘Cosmic Judge’.”
The enthusiasm left his voice as he spoke.
“Kinda lame we’re leaving everything in the hands of a terrorist.”
Ajari nodded. “A shitty hand we were dealt.” His mind wandered a bit to the woman he was with that Keshin so brutally murdered before his eyes.
He slammed his fist against the wall, cracking the wood from the force.
“Sorry, sorry.” He clasped his hands together. “Just a bit of despair, frustration.”
”Uh, yeah, it’s cool.” Uneri sputtered. Enjaku rolled his eyes.
”Anyways, I found a place that’s crawling with yōkai, so I’ll be heading there to see if I can find any leads. Maybe we can find a more righteous alternative to Keshin.”
”Crawling with yōkai? Poor bastards.” Ajari and Uneri for that matter have had enough encounters with a certain yōkai to last the rest of their lifetimes.
”Agreed.” Enjaku said as a cubic hole in space-time appeared in front of him. The land in question was visible through its gate.
”Well, I just wanted to let you know before I went AWOL. Let me know if you need anything.”
He waved at Uneri, who acknowledged him with a nod. “Nice meeting you, bud. That goes for you as well.”
“Yeah, good luck.”
Enjaku would pull himself up from the sofa and leap through the gateway to another continent.
When he emerged, the sights that awaited him were much more daunting than the glimpse he had gotten from the other side. This place was crazy.
Massive buildings climbed higher than any other manmade construct he’d ever seen. Consecutive towers built atop cement spanning as far as the eye could see. It reminded him a bit of the architecture in Amegakure, but much sleeker and less jarring.
These buildings were amazing.
It seemed a bit dark though, and very gloomy. He couldn’t help but feel unwelcome.
“Well. Let’s get to it.”
”You!”
A group of men dressed in black military fatigues, chakra resistant vests, and armed with cannons stood before him.
“I don’t know how did you that, how you got here, but itinerants must go through customs.”
They aimed their weapons at Enjaku.
“Unless, of course, you have proper documentation.”
Customs? What was customs?
“Oh, my bad.” The man said, calmly putting his hands up. He wasn’t here to stir the locals. “I had no idea. How do I go through ‘customs’?”
What were they pointing at him? Was it some kind of projectile launcher? From what he could gather with his Rinnegan, it seemed to be a device that weaponized chakra.
Seemed interesting enough.
”By coming with us. Don’t move, remain calm.”
The leader of the party lowered his cannon and relocated it to his back. He approached Enjaku with a pair of mechanized handcuffs that was the standard for Nishino. They were chakra disruption devices that made it next to impossible to manipulate one’s chakra aside from those rudimentary.
“Place your hands behind your back.”
“Ohhh.” Enjaku said. “I get it.”
He was gone.
Now at the top of a skyscraper, whose base was a few hundred meters away from where the encounter took place, he crossed his arms and began to walk along the edge of the building.
“Hmm… where do I go?”
One building stood out to him in particular; an ornate castle-like structure in the midst of these bland towers.
Maybe someone there would know where the yokai were, or at least have a more pleasant alternative to this “customs” the last guys spoke of.
In the lapse of yet another millisecond, he was now outside the building. To his right was the corpse, or rather, detached head of a large yōkai.
”Yo! Does anyone know how I can go through customs? I need passage!” He called out to the group of people closest - an almond-skinned woman caught his attention. She looked like some kind of royalty to him just from how she carried herself and the fact she was leading what appeared to be clean-up efforts.
“Oh? Are you a migrant?” She asked, whispering the last word. Her were eyes soft and kind and her attire was quite comfortable - the woman wore a tan cardigan and a black undershirt as well as a pair of fitted black shorts.
“If so I’d keep my voice down, this isn’t the best time to visit Nishino undocumented.”
The man nodded, moving in closer. He could barely hear her whispers from where he was. With a hop and a skip, he closed the distance.
“Oh, sorry. I’m Enjaku, Ūtsuro Enjaku.”
He offered the lady a slight bow, then stood up straight and pointed at the yōkai.
“Where can I find more of those?”
”The kaijū? Stick around long enough and another will surely appear in time. Is there any reason you’re searching for them?”
She returned to her work for a brief moment, giving directions to a contractor, before returning her attention to her guest.
“Oh! I didn’t tell you my name. I am Megumi Yamashita, Heiress of the Yamashita Family.”
”Wow, a big shot, nice.”
The man watched as Megumi’s workers went to, well, work.
“I have a yōkai problem myself.” Was the response to her previous question. “And I saw you guys have one, too. Trying to see if my yōkai and yours have similarities, or if yours can lead me to somewhere that would tell me more about mine.”
”Yours are more ugly. Mine looks like a human. You got any human-like yōkai here?”
”Well for starters, yōkai are a new phenomenon, at least relatively. These things are scientifically dated to be much older, as if they’re from a prehistoric era. It’s why we’ve named them kaijū.”
She placed her thumb to her chin, as if thinking. Then she smiled.
“Makes some sense, I guess, considering how ugly they do look. Why we haven’t seen many humanoid variants.”
Enjaku sighed, turning around and folding his hands behind his head.
“Ah, lame. Well, okay.”
This might wind up being a dead end.
“So, just to confirm. None of your yōkai are super-tall men with black hair, and run around slinging six swords?”
”Mine likes to commit war crimes. This would be like, the perfect place for him.”
”Well we’ve had a few sightings, the most recent in the Land of Springs and Geysers. It was a humanoid, measured to about eight feet tall, absurd musculature, dark hair that trailed down its back and instead of swords it used a pair of unbelievably rusted axes.”
His face lit up.
”OH! Wait, wait, okay! Cool! What happened to him? He still alive?”
Sounded Enenra enough. Maybe this one would lead him to something.
Megumi looked away and around, as if concerned they were being watched.
“I’m sorry, but that’s classified information. And you haven’t explained why you need it.”
”Sure. I have a yōkai on my continent that likes to kill gods and celestial beings, it’s like his favorite past time. But he wiped out a kingdom and killed my friend’s friend; not cool, right? So I’m thinking about putting him six-feet.”
He sighed. “Problem is, he’s the only one who can kill a world-eating god that’s gonna pop up any day now. If you have chakra, you can’t fight him. The yōkai doesn’t have chakra though, and is really friggin’ strong. He’s humanity’s best bet against the god, but the guy’s not a good guy.”
”So, I’m trying to find a potential replacement by locating his clan, which I did, but I can’t get to them.”
”Buuuut~” He said, pointing up to the sky. “Your yōkai kinda sounds like mine, at least in appearance.”
After going on his little rant, waving his hands and pacing as he spoke, he finally straightened and looked in Megumi’s eyes.
”Get it?”
She took a step back from the flailing man.
“Okay, lot to take in. Um…”
A drone zoomed through the air and soon out of sight.
“The kaijū have chakra… well, something akin to chakra. It’s heavier, it’s, um, denser, and highly resistant to foreign manipulations. It’s felt as if it’s a pressure.”
“It’s similar to the concept of senjutsu chakra - a blend of physical, spiritual, and natural energy. Their chakra has the former two for sure, but the third element… we haven’t even scratched the surface of what that is.”
It was interesting, unfortunately, this didn’t help Enjaku at all.
”Well, that doesn’t help.” He said, stroking his chin. If they were able to detect and acknowledge this energy’s existence, then it was safe to say that they weren’t dealing with any Enenra.
”Axe-Man probably isn’t the same thing as my Sword-Terrorist. That sucks.”
”Well, is it cool if I hang around and beat up yōkai? Maybe I’ll learn something on my own.”
”Slow down, my friend.”
A well dressed man with a striking similarity to Megumi stood behind Enjaku with an intrigued expression. His left eye, oddly enough, resembled a Mangekyō Sharingan.
He extended his hand.
“I am Hideo Yamamshita, daiymō of this nation. I understand my soldiers gave a bit of trouble regarding your status as undocumented?”
Enjaku shook the man’s hand, now looking confused.
“Oh, I’m Enjaku.” He replied. “They tried to cuff me, so I dipped. Never been greeted that way before. Usually they just start attacking.”
”Yes, I see. I assume they mentioned customs? If not, customs is simply a process of officially granting you access to the Land of Precious Stones. All you have to do, since you’ve made your purpose known, is… “
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a cup with a screw-on lid.
“Send in a pluck of hair for drug screening purposes. We do not tolerate illicit substances.”
When the container was extended towards him, Enjaku’s black Rinnegan swirled, tomoe shifting a bit.
“Sure!” He said, almost too cheerily. The man reached up and popped a follicle from his head of fluffy hair, then dropped it in the cup.
“You want more?”
”This is enough, although I would like for you to explain how you came to obtain a Rinnegan.”
Enjaku grinned sheepishly, ruffling his hair with both hands.
“Dunno. Guess I’m chosen or something.” He responded, stifling a laugh. “Don’t even ask me why they’re two different colors. It gets complicated.”
”Chosen? No my friend, you were not chosen in the sense you put it.”
The pattern in Hideo’s Sharigan rotated stiffly, unnaturally. He then smiled, an eerie contortion of his face, as if he was pretending.
“Enjoy your stay in the Land of Precious Stones and do stay out of trouble.”
He walked away, hands behind his back and container in pocket.
“I do believe we’ll be meeting again.”
The land beneath Hideo’s feet shifted and then he was gone.
Enjaku smirked in a devious manner as the man disappeared.
“Was that supposed to be intimidating?” He asked Megumi, chuckling a bit. “Funny guy.”
Although he made use of it, he didn’t need the Rinnegan to know that this one’s intentions were… shady. For now, he wasn’t going to sweat the details. This was a new place, new people, and possibly held the answer to his problem.
”Anyways, whatcha want me to do? Any rules? Dos and don’ts?”
”Firstly, do not draw the ire of Hideo. My brother, well, the government here in general should not be toyed with. As a migrant, you… ‘disappearing’, would be an everyday occurrence.”
“Secondly, you should go to the Land of Springs and Geysers - it’s near the eastern coast. That is where the kaijū we spoke of is held and a new one has appeared. You’ll likely meet two men: Mr. Sora and Mr. Sakaki. They’re also investigating the kaijū and assisting with official business that is outside of your clearance I’m afraid.”
Megumi reached into her satchel and withdrew a small crystal brooch of an ornate “Y”. She pinned it to his poncho.
“With that, no one should accost you like they did here. You’re under my protection… for now. In twenty-four hours it’ll shatter apart.”
He looked down at the pin, then looked up, face blank for a moment. It didn’t take long for him to burst into a smile.
“WHOA! I got a BADGE!”
Enjaku laughed, dusting the little pin to make sure it was shining at max capacity.
“I play too much, my bad.” The man said, turning around and taking a few steps away. He gave Megumi a salute and crossed his arms.
”Later, lil dude.”
“So, what do you make of it, sonny-boy?” Sora inquired of Ritsu. “What do you think?”
The “it” in question was a humanoid kaijū jailed in a facility disguised as a condemned factory. It had a pair of large canines, almost like tusks, protruding from its jaw, azure skin, and an imposing build of pure muscle. It’s hair was a raven black that draped around the device that held it trapped and it’s eyes were an amber that seared with hate.
Despite its prison supposedly suppressing its chakra to near zero, a pressure was present around it. The mysterious third element in the equation that was its unique chakra.
The same power that resides in him.
Was Chihiro a kaijū? Was… he a kaijū? They couldn’t be, Megumi had said every kaijū they’ve ever encountered had been monstrous. The one before them was as “human” as they got.
So what did Māra do to him?
“It looks like something out of a nightmare, but somewhat familiar. Doesn’t it resemble an oni from yōkai legends and myths?”
The older man nodded, adjusting his beanie and looking up into the demon’s burning eyes.
“Mhm, I would say so.” Sora started, seemingly analyzing the being. “That’s probably what he is. I doubt someone sat down, got bored, and made up a bunch of stories about monsters with no inspiration. Creativity wasn’t exactly encouraged in that era.”
”If anything, folklore is probably our best friend in this case. It’s the closest thing we have to an encyclopedia.”
The creature’s eyes seemed to focus in on Sora. If one looked closely, it seemed to almost be particularly agitated when gazing upon him.
“Aw, he likes me.” He joked.
”Hmm.”
Ritsu focused on Sora for a brief moment - he almost never intruded upon people’s thoughts save when he believed it to be necessary - but all he could perceive was a haze.
Interesting, he thought as he made a mental note.
Ritsu then delved into the depths of the beast’s mind, but all he could behold was bloodthirst. Which wasn’t surprising.
But the further he dug, the closer he seemed to get to the oni source of the enigmatic energy. Unlike him, it seemed the kaijū were lessers of a greater whole, their power an echo of something else. A creator? A patron?
The oni began to thrash in its restraints, loosing a terrible roar as it did.
“Seems like he thinks the opposite. And so do I. Take Tamamo no Mae, the kitsune yōkai for example. She claimed to be a living Shinjutsu, the creation of an Ōtsutsuki, and has made yōkai herself. But she didn’t have what we’re feeling from the oni; this feels older, ancient. Perhaps it predates Ōtsutsuki, but that deepens the mystery.”
”Maybe. Though, we know there were people; who else would have wrote about them?”
”These things don’t originate from this realm, I’d imagine. Mythos often suggest that yōkai cross over, like ghost stories, for example.”
”Now, other stories indicate that some yōkai are born from dead people, or those who befell a curse. Meaning that, no… they should originate from this realm, if that’s the case.”
”Maybe they were sealed off. I’d imagine someone would have good reason to do so, don’t you think?”
”It doesn’t seem to be an oni, actually,” interjected a scientist who was typing away at a computer that controlled the regulation of chakra. “We’ve cross-referenced hundreds of texts from the observatory and then all across the world over the last few months, and it doesn’t match what oni’s are generally known for according to folklore.”
“This kaijū can fly and it used its chakra in such intricate ways. It shapeshifts, it creates illusions, disasters, it schemes. This beastial nature… it… it seems like a facade. It’s shown actual intelligence before we captured it. If anything, oni seem to be a tame rendition.”
Sora cocked his head.
“Mm, well, maybe it’s not an oni. Though, I suppose the specifics of what he is aren’t that important.”
He would slowly sit down on the lab floor, looking up at the creature.
There were at least a dozen questions about the kaijū and many that could branch off one answer.
“What’s more important,” added Ritsu. “Is how they got here; why they starting showing up. How to stop the phenomena.”
And what lied at the end of its power.
“What can you tell us about the, uh, ‘crossing over’ process? Has anyone actually seen a kaijū’s emergence? Do they just show up?”
”Well, we have detected spatial disturbances within the first few minutes of their appearance, which led us to the theory that they indeed do come from a different dimension, as the other gentleman hypothesized.”
”Sounds about right.”
Enjaku was standing adjacent to Sora, having just materialized within the last instant. The latter didn’t appear to be startled, rather, he ogled the man.
A hint of disdain in his eyes.
“I got a badge, so I’m official. Don’t freak out.” The Rinnegan wielder stated, doing a three-sixty and flashing his pin.
“So, what we doin’? We know anything about this guy?”
Sora remained quiet, still looking up at the man and eyeing him curiously.
”It isn’t what you’re looking for,” Ritsu answered, not at all surprised by the stranger’s sudden appearance. “Perhaps you should further examine the why of your motive.”
Enjaku laughed.
“My interest in these guys likely isn’t as personal as yours, but noted.”
Sora’s head tilted at that comment. He didn’t need Ritsu’s mind-scraping abilities to see that the person before them didn’t have any ill-will.
The perks of being an empath. Less intrusion of the mind, more immediate result.
That being said, he didn’t understand why he was here.
”So what you guys find out?”
”Not much.” Sora said, rising to his feet and looking Enjaku in the eyes. The man’s off-set Rinnegan had obviously caught the sculptor’s attention.
“I know you, don’t I?”
The kaijū’s breath grew ragged. It’s binds rattled against it.
”Don’t think so.” Enjaku said. “I mean, I travel a lot, but I don’t recognize you.”
“Odd. I know exactly who you are. We’ve met.”
Enjaku looked at Ritsu.
”Hey, can you read my mind again and see if I’m just forgetting something?”
“No.”
”Ight.”
Sora would turn away from Enjaku and back towards the yōkai.
“Well, what else are we gleaning from this fellow?”
The scientist cleared her throat then attempted to continue before the computer began to alarm.
“Huh? That can’t be!”
A pressure, many times more intense before, bore down upon everyone in the facility. The machinery keeping the kaijū contained faltered and hissed, sparks dancing between its components.
Ritsu observed, arms folded and eyes shining with intrigue. Why let this opportunity to see what it can do firsthand go to waste? If it can overcome these restraints then it’s might was worth witnessing.
The device exploded into hundreds of pieces, heated shrapnel and electrified cables scattering about.
The scientist dangled dozens of feet in the air, being held aloft by her lab coat outside of the blast radius, courtesy of Ritsu who hovered behind her.
A piece of broken metal was hurling towards Sora’s face. Before he could react, it paused.
With a wave of Enjaku’s hand, every flying steel chunk would cease movement. As for the creature, the space in which it occupied vanished, leaving a black cylinder in its wake.
Sora’s eyes grew wide when he saw space and time vanish before his very eyes.
He knew who this was, he was sure of it.
The debris would follow suite for a split second, as if they glitched out of reality. In their wake was the black, but the space was returned to normal within an instant.
”So, do we want him alive, or do I erase him?” Enjaku asked, not wanting to hinder the scientist’s progress. “You guys were in the middle or figuring something out, right?”
A coldness bit the air and a darkness enveloped the room.
”This almost feels like the shadow curse…” Ritsu thought as he hoisted the screaming woman onto the catwalk.
Then from the shadow emerged the kaijū soundlessly, it’s eyes blazing with fury and massive hand reaching out for them.
In an instant, a large metal rod pierced clean through the kaijū’s dense skull, it’s blood and brain matter squelching sickeningly.
But then the kaijū vanished again before reappearing behind Ritsu, this time swinging one of its rusted axes down to split him in half.
He reached up to take hold of the derelict weapon’s looming edge then, with the slightest of effort, shattered it beneath his touch.
What appeared to be confusion flashed across the beast’s eyes followed by realization, as it kept moving downward in the direction of its attack.
Ritsu clasped it’s musclebound arm with both hands then, with a grunt, hurled the kaijū over his shoulder and back down towards the floor with enough force to crumble the concrete it slammed into.
”Nice.” Enjaku said as he hopped into the air and out of the creature’s path. Sora had already run off to find cover, understanding this situation was well outside of his pay grade.
He was now on the metal ceiling, standing upside down and eyeing the fallen creature with his Rinnegan.
”Is… is it dead?” Asked the cowering scientist.
To answer her question, the monster melted away as a grating, guttural laugh echoed through the room.
Five of the kaijū advanced upon the trio, two flying towards Enjaku, two towards Ritsu, and one reaching for the now screaming woman, it’s maw open and hungry.
Their first target would turn to face the endangered scientist, leaping towards and landing between her and the beast.
With a slight gesture of the hand, the kaijū’s head would instantly disappear, leaving its severed neck squirting blood in its wake. Dissatisfied, Enjaku would then erase its body.
The two beasts who were chasing him before would meet the same fate, and would be removed from existence in an instant flash of black.
“You good?” He asked the woman as he turned to face her.
She leapt forward and buried her head into his chest, shaking with fear.
“T-thank you,” she sobbed, snot spilling from her nose. “Pl-please don’t l-let me. Please!”
As for Ritsu’s assailants, they were pinned to ceiling in unnatural positions, rods holding them in place.
And like the other versions of the kaijū, these too disappeared.
“These must be its illusions,” Ritsu suggested, his eyes burning like embers in the shadows. “Except they’re quite real don’t you think?”
Enjaku nodded, squinting and visibly uncomfortable as he awkwardly patted the woman’s head.
“Yeah, I mean, I guess if it’s real, it’s not an illusion. More like reality-warping or something.”
He cringed at the woman’s sobs, putting his hands on her shoulders, removing her from himself, and giving her the fakest smile he could muster.
”There… there..?”
The catwalk the three stood on creaked then collapsed, the scientist being the only to fall.
“Help me please!” She screamed as she fell into the darkness before abruptly disappearing.
The sound of crunching bones echoed through the facility followed by another wicked laugh.
”Okay. Not there-there.” Enjaku said, a little baffled by her sudden death.
The instant the darkness concealed her form, the woman was killed. Considering nothing has been exactly what it seems since it first manifested…
”It’s the shadows,” said Ritsu as an enormous robotic arm emerged from nothingness. It reached up, pushing against the ceiling, making it crack and groan before caving in entirely.
Rubble fell as sunlight poured in, dispelling the kaijū’s darkness. It sat in a corner, cross-legged, the body of the woman lying mutilated before it. Blood and innards stained its face.
It stared at the two men, one flying and the other standing upside down on a strewn portion of ceiling.
“Troublesome.” It boomed.
“Haha… he’s scared of going outside.” Enjaku chuckled to Ritsu. “Type shit. I feel that.”
The man’s Rinnegan gleamed, and a psychokinetic force would seek to seize the monster in its grasp - it’s intent to sling it right to Enjaku and Ritsu.
The kaijū was yanked from its position, still cross-legged, being pulled towards the two above with a fascinated expression. Just before he collided with the two, Enjaku would motion upwards with his hands.
Now the beast was rising up, up, and out of the wasted facility. He rose higher and higher, sun’s rays beaming down upon him.
“Cool.” Enjaku said as he watched the being slowly become smaller and smaller in the sky.
Then he disappeared.
And reappeared in front of the kaijū, standing on nothing.
“Yo.”
As the beast passed his position, still cross-legged, Enjaku would create a black sphere in his hands. Holding it between his palms and centering it at his chest, he teleported again, dropping it just above the creature so its gravitational pull would reel him in.
Since it was so close, he doubted he could just run away from it.
”I wonder if that’ll hold him.” Enjaku mused, now next to Ritsu. He stood with his arms folded as he gazed at the black sphere.
Bits of the ruined buildings around them began to tremble and leap towards the black crux above. Enjaku was allowing the debris to be sucked up, but was mindful to not let much of the earth be displaced.
"It should," replied Ritsu, hands in his pockets. "The strange power it had vanished the moment the sunlight shone upon it." He looked down at the corpse, ravaged beyond questioning. "It's a shame she died so gruesomely though, I'm sure there was more she could have told us."
"It's safe now, Sora."
On queue, the man would hop out from behind a blown-out lab supercomputer.
“Ah… good. Thanks you two.”
Enjaku would give him a thumbs up. The satellite in the sky behind them all would disappear - Wūji erased it.
“No prob. But now what? Do we gotta report this to Miss Megumi?”
"Not yet," the air around Ritsu and the other two men seemed to grow... uncertain. "The scientist said something about the observatory. We may as well check it out ourselves while we're here."
Without waiting for their answer, the trio shifted through space and appeared in the ransacked observatory where Ritsu and his friends stood against Chihiro no Kimi, so many months ago. All the technology that once adorned the place had been stripped and many books were gone, while others strewn across the floor and tables.
Strangely enough, it felt as if Chihiro was still here. As if his presence had become one with the place.
"They're rather thorough it seems."
”Your family’s tech?” Sora inquired as he glanced around the empty room. “Taken by Hideo’s people, I’d imagine.”
Enjaku seemed more interested in the literature.
“Damn. Looks like a tornado went through here.”
Ritsu began to canvas the observatory, his eyes piercing and searching while Enjaku and Sora were left to their own devices. From what they found from this place alone, they were able to learn so much about the kaijū, but would Chihiro really leave all his secrets so easily discoverable?
In the corner of his left eye's vision a shadow seemed to pass by another stripped bookshelf, save one book nestled in the top right.
He opened and examined, but the pages were blank. On second glance, there wasn't even a title.
"An empty book?"
Enjaku paid no mind - he’d found a book he seemed to be enjoying. Sora, on the other hand, walked up to Ritsu.
”I’m sure there’s a trick to make it show things.” Was the older man’s voiced opinion. “Knowing the people you deal with, I doubt anything here didn’t serve some sort of purpose.”
Ritsu inspected it again, this time noticing faint remnants of energy scattered throughout its pages.
The same energy of the kaijū.
The same energy flowing through his chakra network.
With the slightest input of his chakra, the book hummed to life and a symbol appeared on its cover. A dark, closed eye with golden rays beaming from around it. A black scrawl ripped through the once blank pages, a language that frankly resembled gibberish.
The bookshelf creaked before moving to the side, revealing a shadowed passageway leading deeper into the observatory.
Excitement buzzed in Ritsu's mind - they had to be getting closer to figuring to the root of it all.
"Enjaku," he called out. "We're heading down."
The men entered the passage, breathing in and tasting the stale air. It seemed no one's been back since Chihiro's defeat.
At the end was a dimly lit room with a bloodied shrine bearing the same symbol on the book.
”Ah. Cult shit. Yay.”
The Rinnegan-bearer’s eyes squinted in disdain as he glanced around the room. He’d been reading the book he found up until they saw the shrine.
“Is that book like their Bible or something?”
"I can't read it." Ritsu stepped cautiously towards the shrine, the insignia beckoning to him. "But there's... some kind of pull. Something here."
He placed a hand on the altar.
A surge of pure, unadulterated power rushed through and erupted out of him, washing the room and the trio in its glory. It was all-encompassing, all-consuming. It was a pressure unlike any other that made even breathing a herculean task. It was a magnificence that strained the very cornerstones of reality and fantasy, truth and untruth.
Just as it seemed he would be made undone by force tearing into him, Ritsu stood in an ethereal land of creeping shadows and one light in the middle of it all.
It was an entity within an arrangement of flesh-like rings, covered in closed eyes just like the one on the book and shrine. In its center was a woman's silhouette, appearing to be sleeping yet there was an open eye adorning her forehead. Aware. Watching.
Enjaku’s book would disappear from his hand, and his cloak billowed as he threw an arm up to shield his eyes. His Rinnegan didn’t seem to agree with whatever it was they were beholding.
“What the hell?” He murmured, grimacing at the forcefulness of her presence.
He glanced over at Sora, who had been knocked onto his butt. The man was leaning back and resting on his elbows, seemingly fixated on the rings.
Looking back at the figure in question, Enjaku’s eyes began to twitch.
“Ritsu!” He yelled over the rush of aura. “What is that?!”
"I am... a distant aspect."
A feminine voice answered.
"Hopes... dreams... slumber... night..."
Dreams?
Was this Chihiro's "Lady"?! The so called purveyor of mankind's dreams?!
"I am... The Sleeping Goddess. This form was taken... as to not break you."
Every fiber of muscle, every nerve-ending screamed at the being before him, but Ritsu's dōjutsu burned and the power within him stirred in response. Defiance.
"What do you want?" His voice was different. It was his, of course, but somehow not quite his own.
Enjaku began to slip a bit, bending at the knees and leaning backwards. His body hurt - a lot.
Sora remained the same. Strange. He was obviously fazed, but he somehow seemed more paralyzed than in pain.
“SORA!”
"Tread carefully. You are in the presence of a goddess, insolent child. You took my Voice Hearer. You denied me what I am due and you continue to do so."
The entity unleashed an outpouring of power, trembling the foundations of the realm they resided in.
"My dreams shall reign until the end, where all returns to Her. Her love shall swaddle the universe; Her touch, renew all things. I will not allow you to remain in the way, not again... Māra.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"So hush now, little ones and rest your weary eyes. Become lost in your dreams. Sleep now, accursed Voice Hearer. Sleep now, all who are burdened. Slumber with me, eternal."
Sora was out cold.
Enjaku struggled, falling to his knees in confusion. He panted heavily as he tried to resist.
“D-Damn…”
Voice Hearer? Was that what Ritsu was to Māra? What Chihiro was to her? The divine energy they both shared; he knew it's name now. Quintessence.
More questions were all he had. Who was this "Her"? What did Māra do before? What was the Sleeping Goddess's due?
If she thinks he's just going to roll over and sleep as she commanded, then she's the insolent one.
Ritsu raised his hand, cradling the fabric of the ethereal realm in his palm. It was just a dream after all, shared between them.
And like all dreams, this too could be broken.
A fracture appeared in the space around him, followed by another and another.
"You reject my gift. You have damned your kind."
Like glass, the dream shattered and the three men were once again standing before the shrine, the dried blood strangely fresh now and the closed eye insignia eerily open.
It almost felt like some sort of genjutsu - now Enjaku and Sora were upright and awake as they had been before. The latter looked at Ritsu, confused.
“Well… not what I was expecting.”
Enjaku, on the other hand, shook his head a few times before wiping the sweat from his face.
“Jeez. That was something. Scary stuff. I was out quick.”
Ritsu nodded in agreement, shaking a bit from the encounter.
“It felt as if every cell in my body was on the verge of collapse.”
The Sleeping Goddess, a numinous being who wasn’t all talk. A divinity responsible for the kaijū and Chihiro no Kimi.
And now she was waking up. Angry. Vengeful.
”I think we can both agree, the yokai… er, kaijū ain’t all that scary.” Enjaku said to Ritsu, his eyes narrowing.
“But that thing’s terrifying. Like you said, it felt like we were gonna fall apart.”
Sora remained quiet.
”You’re an interesting guy, Sora.”
Ritsu also turned his attention to the older man.
“I thought you’d have more to say.”
”Yeah, well, whatever.”
Sora just shrugged, seemingly shook up a bit.
”I don’t know what you guys want me to say. A god, I’d assume.”
”I guess that’s a fair conclusion? What makes you say that?”
The older man adjusted his beanie and flapped his poncho.
“Uh… did you see that thing?”
”Yeah, I did. I’d argue me and Ritsu seemed a lot more disturbed than you did.”
Enjaku’s words had a certain sharpness to them, as if they were laced with suspicion.
“…”
You’re cool, I’m just pointing it out.”
For a brief second Ritsu shared the Ūtsuro’s suspicion but shrugged it off. This was Sora after all.
“I think it’s time we got back to Megumi. There’s much to discuss.”
”Agreed. I wonder what she’s doing.”
With that, Enjaku would disappear. Most likely back at the estate. Sora snickered, rubbing his neck.
”Jīzo’s something, isn’t he?”
Ritsu didn’t reply immediately, instead he danced along the periphery of Sora’s mind. It was odd - all he could make out was a haze, as if there was something or perhaps someone actually obscuring his vision.
Information he would keep to himself for now.
“He’s useful. Somewhat enjoyable. Many things ahead of him. Why do you ask?”
“Ah, I’m just glad you two get along. Not that it’s a rarity. If you can tolerate Minobi, anything else is a cakewalk.”
”Ready to go, Ritsu?”
“Do you even hear what you’re saying Hideo?”
Megumi paced back and forth in the common room of the Yamashita House, her shadow flickering across the wall from the warm fire in the hearth.
“What you’re suggesting is insane!”
Hideo leaned back in his chair, brushing away a braid and tucking it beneath his headpiece. His right eye had a black patch over it.
“What I’m suggesting is a cleansing. Our nation is overrun with these ungrateful refugees who won’t even fight to protect the place that took them in.”
“These are people, Hideo! Children!”
“We cannot progress as a country without putting our own first.”
A knock came from the far door.
”Hey, Miss Megumi? It’s Enjaku.”
Hideo’s ears perked up. So the fool survived.
He stood and waved Megumi down, then went to answer the door.
“Enjaku,” he said with a pleasant smile. “How convenient it is for you and I to meet here again.”
Enjaku gasped, feigning surprise.
“WOW! I WAS JUST THINKING THAT!”
He peeked his head to the side and waved at Megumi, offering her a small smile.
“Let me guess, you need something else?”
”Hideo, don’t you dare!”
The man ignored his sister and reached up to remove his eyepatch, revealing a black Rinnegan, identical to Enjaku’s own.
“We’ve been working tirelessly to create artificial dōjutsu for months following Chihiro no Kimi’s fall. The Rinnegan you see here was in development for some time, but the first prototype was finalized with the DNA you provided. My Sharingan is artificial as well, but by all means as effective as a genuine variant.”
“These are key strides in improving the security of the Land of Precious Stones and minimizing the impact of the kaijū. It’s not perfect of course, but there seems to be a set of powers distinct from the famed Six Paths Technique that I can’t access or begin to comprehend. Perhaps, you wouldn’t mind explaining how they work?”
”Uh-huh. I’m aware.”
Enjaku gave Hideo a sheepish grin.
”Remember how I said I was chosen? I wasn’t entirely lying.”
“Oh? Enlighten me”
”Yeah, chosen to keep that info to myself for the time being.”
Enjaku would turn on his heels and begin to walk away from Hideo.
“Besides, a knockoff couldn’t bear the Nīdanas.”
The earth beneath Enjaku’s feet shifted and he found himself again before the Chancellor of the Land of Precious Stones. His Sharigan had changed into its Mangekyō.
“Nīdanas you say? Hmm,” He brought his thumb up to his lip, thinking. “Understandable. Unique powers that vary between users are not unheard of. I do singularly possess Ōkuninushinokami.”
“At any rate, Enjaku, your reluctance as a foreigner to be forthcoming is not a good look.”
A tremor broke through the air as a roll of thunder boomed across the city. In the far distance were the beginnings of stormy clouds.
“If not for my mercy, perhaps things would have occurred differently.”
Enjaku paused in place at the last bit - mercy?
“I’m sorry?”
He pivoted and leaned against the hallway wall, facing Hideo and crossing his arms. Still smiling, but a bit more serious now.
“Mercy?”
Hideo’s arms remained behind his back, his demeanor the same as before. Undaunted.
“Yes. My mercy.”
”Hideo…” Megumi was standing behind her older brother, noting the increasing tension between the two. “Stop.”
”Nah, it’s cool, Miss Megumi.” Enjaku said in a comforting tone as he tilted his head a bit.
“I wanna hear what he has to say. Let his ‘Highness’ speak.”
”At this present moment, Ūtsuro, there are fifty drones locked on to your position, twelve soldiers with specialized chakra cannons aimed at your vitals, and one ‘Highness’ standing before you more than capable of keeping you within range.”
“I could have dragged you kicked and screaming into the prison from the moment I met you. But instead I gave you the freedom to roam around and poke your nose in official business.”
The confronted’s eyes would drift to the ceiling, listening to the chancellor’s words despite his gaze lazily moving elsewhere.
Threats, self-appraise, assertions.
This fell in line with what he’d been taught at the Temple of Nothingness - corrupt leadership was at root here. Seeing as though this one had no problem making these outlandish comments to an unfamiliar face, he imagined it was only worse for the people here.
There was more than a mere monster problem here. Perhaps this was the actual reason he’d been drawn to this place.
For now, he’d have to set his Keshin crisis to the side. If the Sixth could handle Myōshiki, then it was his duty to contribute some good in the midst of this corruption - corruption on both sides.
As much as he hated it, faith had to be placed in the Enenra. His time would come later.
”I willingly gave you the hair, knowing you’d make the eye.” Enjaku finally said, tapping the wall. “Your mind is difficult to read, but intentions are another thing.”
”Truth is, you can’t access the Nīdanas. Your scientists don’t seem to be anywhere as… capable as the original owners of the tech. Even then, it’s not something you can just recreate.”
He sighed, directing his gaze back to Hideo.
“I suppose it’s not entirely unique to me, either.”
The Chancellor’s Rinnegan weighed Enjaku, a soft whirring sound humming from his head for a moment, as if he was calculating, processing.
“Continue.”
”Oh, there’s not much else to say. Step one of acquiring the power is having a real Rinnegan-”
He looked at Megumi, who he could see peeking out from behind Hideo. Enjaku couldn’t help but wonder if she had issues and disagreements with this one often.
From the tiny bit he’d heard previously, he assumed so.
“-so if you want mine, I suggest you go get more men.”
The flooring beneath Enjaku’s feet shifted once more in a baffling way, ending with him standing in the middle of street.
Hideo walked down the steps, his hands now in front of him. He cracked his knuckles and popped his neck.
“I’ll get more men once you show me what I have now is insufficient. So, go on. Impress me.”
Enjaku glanced around a bit, smiling in a satisfactory manner.
“Ohhh. That’s how that works. It’s kinda like my ability.”
He could sense the presence of others, strategically placed around the area that he had been transported to.
What complicated things was the presence of civilians.
It was fine - widespread attacks weren’t his thing anyway. He just had to be a bit more careful.
Megumi rushed out of the house and stood between the men, placing her hands out.
”Hideo! There are people living here! Please don’t do this!”
“Could you just trust my judgement for once, Megumi?!” Hideo shot back as she was moved like Enjaku, except sent back to the doorstep. “I’m the Chancellor - not you. The people made their choice.”
He returned his attention to Enjaku.
“Now… show me you aren’t all talk.”
A pair of drones suddenly appeared on the ground in front of the chancellor, broken up and crackling with electricity. They appeared to have been ripped from wherever they were before and slammed into the pavement.
Enjaku’s eyes burned bright as his Rinnegan released an eerie, momentary screech.
“Push that big red button, your majesty.”
”How frightening.”
Hideo pointed a finger at Enjaku, which retracted and transformed into a miniature turret. A light gathered within.
A blast of energy rushed forth from the barrel towards Enjaku.
The ground in front of Hideo sizzled - smoke rose from a burnt, circular point in the pavement between his feet. His shot had missed its mark.
Enjaku hadn’t moved, he’d taken the time to gather more info about his surroundings.
“Wrong button. Try again.”
Another whirring sound hummed from Hideo’s head. A command issued.
The Chancellor fired a second beam, this one thinner, faster. He wondered if the Ūtsuro would actually notice or show more of this strange ability.
Enjaku’s form shifted to the side, though his body made no move. From the looks of it, the ground beneath him had transported as well.
He glitched again, now right in Hideo’s face. The white Rinnegan that Enjaku bore would screech once more: Upādāna.
Such close proximity narrowed the chance of escape, though it was minuscule to begin with.
The ground shifted again, this time with Enjaku and Hideo having swapped positions, the latter being pushed to his knees as a force bore down on him.
The instant this change was made, another irregularity appeared in the road; a smoldering hole to the right of Enjaku.
Unbeknownst to him, Hideo had issued a mental command for a cloaked drone to take the shot at his previous position - where Enjaku now stood. Such attacks from machinery were purely physical phenomena that only a true Sensor Type or bearer of a more visually adept dōjutsu could anticipate.
Enjaku seemed to be neither. A blast wound tracked from left shoulder and out through his right side.
Gritting his teeth for a moment, he cursed before his left eye rippled: Ayatana.
Straightening up a bit, he eyed the blast hole in his shoulder, then traced its position to the ground. He didn’t seem fazed in the slightest anymore, regarding pain.
From this, along with the enhanced sense of spatial awareness that came with Wūji, he could calculate a rough path of space he needed to erase in order to deal with the weaponry Hideo had spoken of.
The issue was he couldn’t account for others, if there were more. He’d need to go searching for them, and while he could, that didn’t mean he should.
There was another solution.
The space he and Hideo occupied would be engulfed in a black cubic outline for the briefest of moments. A space roughly ten or so meters all around.
This space would reappear in a meadow - filled with yellow grass. It seemed to expand in all directions until one saw the black border that signified an uncrossable boundary.
They were in the Land of Ogres now - or an extension of it. This was the land given to the Ūtsuro Clan, and was only accessible to wielders of Wūji Release.
Space-Time techniques could not cross the barrier they were now trapped within, save Wūji Release.
“I’m not big on scavenger hunts.” Enjaku said, looking at Hideo. Their piece of pavement looked strange in the middle of this melancholic field. “Cannons are impressive, but they won’t reach you here.”
Hideo seemed to have been freed of the spell that bound him to the ground. Another screech of the Rinnegan would confirm this.
”What’s your game?”
Hideo stood, dusting himself off with a scowl. He took in his surroundings then resigned to placing his hands behind his back and regarding Enjaku candidly.
“There is no game, Ūtsuro. Only protecting my people the best way I can. And to abscond with me when my scientists have been predicting a large scale kaijū emergence within hours is condemning them to hell.”
”From the sound of it earlier, you were telling Megumi about doing some of your own condemning.” Spat the Ūtsuro.
”Your people are in capable hands. Ritsu is a beast. You need to worry about me right now.”
A large black rod would extend from the man’s outstretched palm. He would seize the base with his other hand and pull it from his body. He swung it once before holding it loosely at his side.
“You ain’t got an army, or anyone to command here. You said you were capable of handling me earlier, right?”
The pike’s tip would tap the pavement below before being withdrawn to his backside. Enjaku gripped it in a backwards fashion, holding it diagonally across his back and assuming a crouching stance. Bent at the knees and arm outstretched, he eyed Hideo with a wicked glare.
“What was it you said?”
“Oh, right.”
His dual-colored eyes began to hum and swirl, as if responding to the excess killing-intent that his aura alone couldn’t demonstrate. It was hypnotic.
”Show me you’re not all talk, big boy.”
Hideo held his hand out to the side, a darkness appearing within it. It lengthened into a lengthy machete, a chakra construct born from the powers granted to him by the Mangekyō Sharingan.
He crossed his arms, the machete foremost, the other positioned below.
“With pleasure.”
“I’ve found him.”
Ritsu’s left eye’s sclera resembled the nighttime sky, his iris a dying sun.
He and Sora had just returned to Megumi’s residence and were informed of Enjaku and Hideo’s skirmish before they both abruptly disappeared.
Personally, Ritsu wasn’t concerned. Megumi, however, was distraught having lost now her brother in addition to Banri.
Except the latter was no longer lost and in fact, much closer than first believed.
“He’s actually here, sealed away in a crystal beneath the capital building in a suppression room. Next to what seemed to be the laboratories Hideo is so proud of.”
“Wait… then that would mean…” Megumi trailed off.
”Your brother most likely put him there.” Sora said matter-of-factly. “For why, who knows.”
He sighed, crossing his arms and looking at Megumi.
“Well, good news is that Jīzo doesn’t kill, so your brother isn’t in for a swift death. He does have a bad habit of playing with his food, though. Hideo will most likely get his shit kicked in, and when Jīzo feels as though he’s been humbled enough, he’ll bring him back in once piece.”
Sora would “Tsk” before continuing.
”And hopefully a better person. So are we going to go get Banri, Ritsu ole boy?”
”Let me come with you.” Megumi pleaded. “Please.”
In but a moment, the scenery of the common room changed and the three stood outside of Banri’s containment room, much to the surprise of a group of sentinels.
”S-Stop right there!” The leader commanded as he and his crew aimed their chakra cannons at the intruders. “I don’t know how you got here, but this area is strictly off-limits. Leave or you will be killed here and now.”
Megumi popped out from behind Sora, her hands on her hips.
“You threaten a Minister?”
Uncertainty flashed across the man’s face momentarily before lowered his weapon.
“Minister, you and your guests don’t have the clearance to be he-“
The officers suddenly vanished.
“I’ve had enough of explaining myself,” said Ritsu as a mechanical exoskeleton overlayed his hand. He held it against the electronic door which, after a series of clicks and turns, unlocked it.
”Agreed.” Sora laughed. “We don’t politic around here. No offense, Megumi.”
The woman ignored them and rushed into the cell. She threw both her hands onto the crystal imprisoning Banri, overriding it’s translucency with a bold sapphire. Then slowly, but surely, it crumbled away until Banri fell from the structure into her arms.
“Banri…” Megumi sunk down into floor, gingerly lowering the unconscious man with her. She stroked his shaggy mop of hair, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m so s-sorry that I kept excusing H-Hideo. You were right - he’s sick. Corrupted. He should have never put that damn AI in his head.”
That specific bit caught Ritsu’s attention.
AI in his head? Hideo implanted his brain with A.O.I’s programming? There’s no way such a radical decision doesn’t have dramatic consequences. Especially with how poorly his scientists and engineers are.
Not that it mattered. He was with Enjaku now.
The lights died, casting the underground facility in darkness. Then an alarm blared throughout it with flashing red lights. The distant sound of footsteps rushing to the upper levels along with screams and crashes echoed down.
“KAIJŪ ACTIVITY DETECTED.” announced the alarm system. “KAIJŪ ACTIVITY DETECTED.”
”Lovely. I guess that’s your queue, Ritsu.” Sora sighed in a melancholic tone. “We should probably go topside now.”
”The capital building is a safe haven during attacks,” Megumi replied as she rested her back the cold wall, pulling Banri closer to her. “Hideo’s men will guard it until their last breath. I’ll stay here with Banri, at least, until he wakes up.”
“I hear you,” said Ritsu. “But will they do the same for Banri?”
Before she could answer, a robot the size of full grown man appeared within the room. It’s chassis seemed to reflect the red lights while it’s “eyes” were a pair of soft, golden orbs.
“It’s been quite some time that I’ve ‘stretched my legs’, Ritsu.” It said perfectly and in common tongue, as if it too was a human. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
”WHOA!” Sora said, eyeing the robot in fascination. “Who’s this guy?”
Walking up, he extended a hand towards the metallic being. He’d always been fascinated by what Ritsu had told him of his family.
This definitely surpassed anything he imagined.
“What’s your name, bud? I’m Sora.”
The robot took Sora’s hand, gently, and shook it.
“I am known as the Eiennishōriujigami. You may call me ‘E’ for short.”
”E! Awesome!”
He spun to face Ritsu, still shaking E’s hand.
“Don’t show Minobi. It won’t end well.” Sora whispered, taking his hand back and giving his new friend a thumbs up.
“Oh I imagine,” Ritsu said with a smile before turning to his robot companion. “E, I’ll be releasing more replicants of you with how chaotic it’s already looking topside. I give you free reign with handling kaijū however you like, be mindful of civilians. And I’d like one of you to remain here to watch over them.”
“Understood,” E replied before positioning itself at the door. It’s eyes dimmed momentarily before reigniting. “I have taken control of this facility’s network, security systems, and downloaded all records. Your suspicions regarding Hideo Yamatshita’s motives are true.”
Ritsu nodded. “I figured as much. To place all his faith in my family’s technology yet hate us so vehemently and intentionally make the nations dependent on him for protection from the kaijū. All for some dream his scientists could never fulfill. He’s getting what he was due.”
Sora also nodded in agreement. “Yeah, if he’s really Jīzo, Hideo is in for a rude awakening.”
He removed his beanie, allowing his brown hair to spill out and poof. The man would now face Megumi, who was still with Banri.
”Megumi, what does the name ‘Sage of Six Paths’ mean to you? Do you have any lore pertaining to him in this land?”
”Sage of Six Paths? I know he brought chakra to the Five Great Shinobi Countries across the seas. If you mean who did that for us, there’s a legend of a man once favored by ancient gods: Noriaki Miyamoto.”
”Ah, I see.” He said, putting a thumb to his chin. “I suppose each land does have its own equivalent to a god, or god-like figures.”
He shrugged. “Probably not the time or place, I just had a thought.”
“We’ll discuss this later, Ritsu.” Chirped Sora. He redirected his attention to Megumi.
“Seems awfully stupid. I would imagine your brother was aware of the fact kaijū were attacking, no? Why provoke Ritsu earlier, or piss off Enjaku? Wouldn’t it do him a favor to keep men like that on his side?”
”He provoked Mr. Ritsu because he hates the Sakaki. While what he said was cruel and uncalled for, it unfortunately had a kernel of truth - the Sakaki generally did not use their creations to selflessly better the world, they chased prestige and profit. I won’t lie to you and say commandeering their technology was not one of the greatest things to happen to the Land of Precious Stones.”
“As for Mr. Enjaku, Hideo’s scientists and engineers have been trialing the manufacturing of artificial dōjutsu in addition to other cybernetic enhancements. He created a copy of one of Mr. Enjaku’s Rinnegan but was unable to use its full abilities. So Hideo resigned to attempting to capture him, likely for further testing purposes.”
Sora rolled his eyes for the bit about Ritsu’s clan.
“As if they owe it to everyone.” He said, sarcasm in his voice. “This is why I hate big countries. Someone makes something everyone else likes, and all of a sudden it’s a crime when they don’t want to share.”
He shook his head with a scoff. “I see that’s working out great for you lot - your brother specifically.”
The Minister dropped her head and did not immediately respond. Sora spoke nothing but truth.
“It’s… it’s more complicated than that. If someone has the means of ending homelessness, ending child hunger, or making world peace more than a distant dream, shouldn’t they do it for the good of humanity?”
“That’s placing a heavy burden on my family, imperfect people, to fix everything wrong with Nishino,” said Ritsu, his arms crossed. “Just look at what Hideo’s done with what he’s taken. Has he actually fixed any of those issues? Or did he just create more?”
“I agree that we should all strive to make the world a better place and that your intentions are noble, but clearly not everyone shares the idea of what that looks like.”
”From the sound of it.” Sora continued, patting Ritsu’s shoulder. “I don’t think the world was ready for what the Sakaki pioneered.”
”Ironic. It seems as though you still aren’t done burdening them. Ritsu’s your ‘last hope’ - a Sakaki.”
“Even if the main problem is the monsters, you’ve all proven over the course of this trip that you all aren’t capable of responsibly wielding his people’s power. It’s become exceedingly abundant.”
”How do you think that’s made him feel, Megumi? Why must the Sakaki be forever responsible for helping this country heal?”
”I… I don’t know. I’m sorry. The Sakaki have been painted in such an unfavorable light for so long outside the Land of Springs and Geysers.”
She held Banri tighter. He stirred in her grip, but remained incapacitated.
“But Banri believed in you, so, so, much. His views of your family challenged everything I’ve been taught. I just… really wanted it to be true.”
”Well, I’m glad to see Banri’s leveled out.” Sora said, nudging Ritsu. “I knew I liked him.”
His face turned back serious. Sora had one more question before he could leave the situation alone.
”So, what’s the plan with Hideo? Jīzo won’t kill him, he’s let worse individuals live, and surprisingly it’s worked out.”
The way Sora said it made it seem as though he were speaking from experience.
”My question is, obviously, Hideo’s causing problems. I don’t understand entirely how your country’s politics work, but I’m sure there’s a way you can all relinquish his powers?”
He sighed. “I say that because Enjaku has a weird way of handling opponents. He won’t go all out. He’ll hold back and toy with your brother like a plaything - to humble him.”
”In the instance he can’t be humbled, what are you all going to do about him?”
”Hideo abducting Chancellor Banri is a blatant act of war. If I heard E correct, he’s downloaded everything stored here - which should include anything surrounding it, right, E?”
”Correct Minister Megumi. I have video files and documents regarding Chancellor Banri’s capture as well as his plans for the Land of Springs and Geysers.”
“Good,” she said with a hopeful smile. “Then we have all we’ll need for the international court to charge Hideo as a war criminal and place a warrant for his arrest.”
“Thus beating him at his own political game,” remarked Ritsu with a nod. “You would’ve been a better Chancellor.”
”I’d take Minobi before him.” Sora added with a chuckle. “Good you have a plan of action.”
An earthquake shook the capital building, causing the flashing red lights to flicker for a moment.
Then another struck, this one with greater force.
“It’s time we went up, Sora.” said Ritsu as the space around the two began to blur. “E will keep you and Banri safe, Megumi.”
As the two men began to disappear, Megumi waved goodbye.
“Good luck with whatever’s going on, Mr. Sakaki. Thank you…”
“For everything.”
In a flash, the two were topside in the massive city. The streets were filled with civilians fleeing from the widespread kaijū - seemed to be a large scale invasion.
“I’ll be damned.” Sora murmured, shifting his attention to a pair of soldiers to his left. They were firing round after round from their chakra cannons, fighting off airborne beasts as they swooped around with a dead civilian in their grasp.
“Reminds me of a movie I saw.”
A replicant of E soared through the air and rained down powerful blasts of chakra from compact, tracking cannons located on its shoulders before continuing its pursuit of the flying kaijūs.
In the distance, explosions leveled an entire block of building, smoke and ash choking out the fading sunlight.
It was a warzone, the work of the Sleeping Goddess.
A horrific kaijū with an amorphous body and a singular eye lunged towards the two, only for a rod to pierce through said eye, killing it.
“Disgusting thing,” spat Ritsu as a fog was loosed from his being, creeping into the fray and down the streets. In no time, it’d wreath the entire nation.
All this bloodshed. All this suffering. For what? It’s always cycled back to tragedy in these lands. From the Inquisition and Crusades, to Chihiro’s occupation, and now this - the vile work of a goddess.
Hadn’t Nishino had enough of it? Hadn’t the people been tormented enough?
Kaijū of all variety began to feel the effects of Ritsu’s technique, their lungs being seared by the corrosive mist and flesh being melted from their bones. The flying types fell from the skies, becoming twitching masses of blood and tissue.
”Y’know, this almost seems coordinated to some degree.” Sora said, watching a monster drop from the sky above. “I doubt this was the result of a bunch of monsters coincidentally attacking the same place.”
”You think there’s a leader?”
”The Sleeping Goddess,” Ritsu replied as he put a screeching kaijū out of its misery with another well-placed rod. “The kaijū must be her ‘dreams that will reign until the end’ and the damnation she spoke of.”
“But I think we’d know by now if she decided to grace us with her presence again.”
”Yeahhh, let’s hope she doesn’t. I don’t think you’re ready for that one yet.”
He looked out into the streets. There were hundreds of kaijū within the immediate vicinity. The road in front were filled with screaming people and roaring, decomposing beasts.
”Let’s just focus on what you can do for now. We’ll address her when the time is right.”
”Go get ‘em. Cut loose, I’ll be good.”
With a wicked smirk, Ritsu ascended into the air, his eyes betraying wrath.
Cut loose he shall.
Act 3: Ends of Evil[]
"Thank you. If not for you, I’d have forgotten what was truly important." |
The clashes of staff and blade rang through the plane Enjaku and Hideo battled within.
Sliding back, Enjaku decided their first bout had come to an end. Hideo wasn’t half bad at close-quarters combat - most likely due to his Sharingan and augmented brain. His reaction time was sufficient.
Seeing that his opponent was a souped-up cyborg, it could prove to be an interesting fight.
He flicked his pike to the side, grinning as he beheld his adversary.
“So, whatcha think’s goin’ on in the homeland?” Enjaku asked, straightening up. “You think they miss you?”
”No,” answered Hideo truthfully. “I am not the type of leader that one misses, I am one that is to be feared. Respected. I doubt you’d understand.”
He raised his spectral blade into the air. Three copies appeared around Enjaku, encircling him. They stabbed forward, threatening to skewer him.
Enjaku didn’t need to move for the blades to be flung off into the distance.
“Probably deeper than that. I’d say you aren’t the kind of person who’d be missed at all.”
Spinning his bō, he would slam the bottom into the pavement, grabbing hold with his free hand and leaning into the pole in front of him.
“I think… spoiled is a better adjective to describe you. Not scary.”
”To imply fear must have a factor of being ‘scary’ just proves my point.”
The pavement shifted and Enjaku was moved in front of Hideo who had swung his sword, set to behead the fool.
”Well-“
The pike was standing on its own between the two men. Behind it was Enjaku, who had caught the blade with the palms of his open hands. It had been stopped just short of his neck, trembling in his grip.
”-I suppose some people fear bugs. They ain’t that scary.” He said, staring into Hideo’s mechanical eyes from over his arm.
The sword disintegrated, crumbling to dust in Jīzo’s grip.
“But I don’t think bugs are respected, just feared enough to be given space.”
He didn’t seem to give off any hostility, or clear intent. Enjaku appeared to be perfectly comfortable in this rather strange setting. For a moment, he just smiled Hideo’s way.
His aura was still.
The ground trembled then a column of glassy, jagged crystals erupted from the earth and up towards Enjaku’s midsection.
At the same moment, Hideo turned his palm outward and facing his adversary, an attractive force jerking him towards the crystals and making it so he couldn’t so easily escape.
But the crystals vanished. In their place, a curious liquid bearing the crystal’s color fell onto the concrete below. It cooled instantly on contact, and seemed to create a thin glass-like puddle.
Enjaku pushed off the ground as soon as he felt the tug, adding his own strength to the momentum he’d gain. He seized his pike in one hand, and in his other appeared a purple ethereal scythe. It had a long hilt, matching his bō in length, and a thick curved blade that seemed to be comprised of many chain links melded together.
He swiped at Hideo, taking advantage of the added speed.
The Chancellor exchanged the attractive force for a repulsive one, forcing Enjaku and his strange scythe a good distance away at the very last second.
An ethereal ribcage appeared around Hideo’s form with two bony arms. The arms were raised into the air, a bundle of tomoe beads connected by a black thread of chakra appearing between them.
The tomoe beads were rapidly launched from the thread, each of them seeking Enjaku.
Flying backwards, Enjaku would hit a flip and slam his weapons’ butts into the grass. He’d passed the pavement thanks to that blast, and was sliding away from his attacker, grass flying in his wake as he went.
When he looked up, the beads were already flying towards him.
“Damn…” Mused Enjaku as the ground began to split between he and Hideo. A chasm opened a dozen or so meters in front of the Ūtsuro.
His white eye gleamed, and the beads dropped into the jaws of the earth. From the looks of it, they traveled very far - this was the same technique that had incapacitated Hideo back in his homeland.
“I wish I had one of those.”
The land closed its mouth, sealing off the attack that had been launched Jīzo’s way. What became of it was unknown. Had it exploded, no rumble was felt.
Enjaku brandished his scythe once more, pointing it at Hideo.
A second pair of arms appeared from the ribcage. All four chakra hands began to weave signs along with Hideo, gathering an utterly impressive amount of chakra. The Chancellor was no slouch, not when his cybernetics improved his chakra control and efficiency to expert levels.
The air began to shimmer, as if a gossamer was being overlaid upon it, then abruptly crystallized, enclosing the area in a crystal labyrinth of sorts. Several pillars of the same mineral emerged from the ground, creating an elaborate battlefield that seemed to only be found in fairy tales.
The moment the area was sealed, multiple crystal dragons rushed forth from all sides towards the Ūtsuro.
Another shockwave burst forth from Enjaku’s body - much greater in force than the previous. Crystals were ripped up from the ground below as he floated momentarily from the power of the Deva Path. Shinra Tensei expanded in all directions outwards and met the dragons who were coming inwards.
They were shattered on contact, and the shards were scattered abroad. This wave of energy continued to expand and destroy anything in its path.
Until it reached Hideo.
In the wake up the attack, a large, circular hole appeared in the crystalline construct he had just constructed. Shattered and upturned gemstones lined the crater.
But Enjaku was nowhere to be seen.
Behind Hideo.
Enjaku slashed with his scythe again, blade effortlessly bypassing the defenses of the Susanoo. It didn’t seem to break the construct nor challenge its defenses, but slip through with no resistance.
The blade was mere millimeters from the cyborg’s neck. It threatened to reap and sever his chakra.
Yet another repulsive force was emitted from Hideo’s person, the shockwave repelling Enjaku assault yet again.
However this time, the Ūtsuro was captured in one of the hands of the Chancellor’s Susanoo, a progressively bone crushing grip, before he could get too far.
The other three hands all raised up and bundles of tomoe beads were manifested in each of them. Then, with a flash, they rained fire upon the trapped man.
Enjaku’s eyes went to work on the avatar’s appendage, and the arm that held him tight would flicker away into scattered black wisps. From the looks of it, his Rinnegan’s ability to dismantle was not restricted to standard constructs.
He directed his gaze upward to the incoming onslaught. Shinra Tensei would have been nice, but it hadn’t exactly been five seconds since his last use.
No matter - the ignited chakra seemed to fizzle out. It looked as though it were sucked into an invisible vacuum.
Suddenly, a massive explosion burst inside of Hideo’s Susanoo.
All of this occurred before Enjaku’s feet reunited with the ground below. When they did, he would lean his scythe between his neck and shoulder.
”Yeah. I want a Susanoo.”
”Perhaps that would have been possible if you had stayed in your place.”
Hideo was unscathed from the crafty attack, a translucent barrier fading from around his physical form.
A whirring sound droned from his head before stopping.
In his hands a pair of katar with sharpened knives appeared in them. As for his four chakra arms, they each manifested weapons of their own: one pair with machetes, the others with modern tomahawks.
The Chancellor then appeared before Enjaku’s very eyes, his fist poised to run his head through.
“But you just wouldn’t listen.”
Enjaku crouched, allowing the punch to pass by. A perk of having such a proficient master over Wūji Release showed itself in the form of a nearly precognitive vision.
Tracking subtle movements in space and perceiving when it would be disturbed - watching space become empty and predicting what space would continue to remain unoccupied.
Scythe still in hand, he swiped upwards at a diagonal angle. The scythe’s blade was behind Hideo, arcing to the sky.
All Enjaku had to do was pass the body through Hideo’s form. His eyes roared and screeched once more, signifying the activation of Saṅkhāra.
Neither dōjutsu nor AI could drive off this technique. This genjutsu was the epitome of the difference between their eyes.
Or so Enjaku believed.
Hideo’s grounded position changed once again while Enjaku himself was suddenly plummeting from the skies.
The Chancellor’s Susanoo drew up its weapons and slashed at the falling man in an X formation.
Strangely enough, his Rinnegan was closed while the Sharingan remained open. The facial muscles surrounding the former dojutsu had grown slack.
Enjaku grinned. Hideo himself caved instantly, but his body still fought. Was this the AI?
The earth suddenly jolted upwards beneath the assailant, rising up into a pillar at blinding speeds. Jīzo would shift the land so that the artificial intelligence’s attack missed on its own accord.
He hit the ground again, weaving a sign and closing his white Rinnegan - the black shimmered.
The moisture in the air around Hideo instantly became superheated, and steam began to collect all around the pillar. He made sure to cover a wide area with this technique.
Another perk of his Nīdanas.
Hideo’s AI controlled body observed the phenomena with what seemed to be curiosity.
He crossed his arms then threw them outward, sending forth a massive shockwave that tore through the land, flinging huge chunks and debris into the air and carving a gargantuan hole into the earth. Anything Enjaku had planned was foiled as all things were repulsed without discrimination.
Then Hideo disappeared only to materialize in front of Enjaku in a crouched position, his Mangekyō Sharingan’s pattern spinning languidly.
Ōkuninushinokami was hard at work in this encounter.
The AI-controlled Chancellor surged upward, katar in hand, about to uppercut the upstart.
“With your current methods, your odds of victory have decreased, Ūtsuro.”
Upādāna would bear down upon the katar, halting its motion and throwing it to the ground.
”Am I being shit-talked by a ROBOT?!” Enjaku exclaimed in disbelief. “Nah, that’s wild.”
The two had been moving at a pace quicker than that of the flying chunks of earth. As they passed the duo by, the earth underneath the Chancellor opened up for a moment.
It reconfigured itself into a human-sized sphere - one that formed around Hideo’s puppeted body.
With a wave of his hand, Enjaku washed the sphere over in black. With the cage now surrounded in Wūji, there was no escape. It was the same principle this land used to separate itself from the rest of the world.
“I gotta speak to Hideo.” Enjaku said, Rinnegan swirling lazily. “So I’m gonna need you to calm down before I wake him up.”
“Not like you can hear me in there anyways.”
Within this pocket of Nonexistence, the inside of the sphere would bear many jagged spikes formed of the earth that comprised the construct. They jolted inwards to skewer his foe.
Even if this didn’t incapacitate him, it wasn’t like his Mangekyō could free him. It was an interesting ability now that Enjaku finally understood it, but it couldn’t cross the barrier of nothing.
The spikes ran Hideo through, blood spilling down their slopes.
The AI, however, did not react. Instead it sneered.
“If you kill the Chancellor, you will never know peace again. You war with an entire nation.”
”Oh, I don’t kill.” Said a voice that echoed through the confines of Wūji. “I wouldn’t do that to Miss Megumi anyways.”
Enjaku had a thought. Seeing that the AI was not affected by physical attacks, he opted to incapacitate his foe fully.
He washed his scythe over in black, and swiped through the black sphere in front.
”Do you believe me to be a chakra based programming?” It said, snarkily one might add.
”Nope.” Enjaku replied, releasing the sphere from Wūji’s claws. The earthen construct would open in front, revealing Hideo’s crucified body inside.
”But no chakra makes you two a tiny bit easier to handle.”
His Rinnegan whirled, and the genjutsu placed on Hideo was undone. Having severed the tie between the Chancellor and his chakra, all that was left was to bring him home.
“Rise and shine, sweetheart.”
Hideo awakened with a bloodcurdling scream that echoed throughout the land.
“What have you done to me?!” He asked, blood dribbling through his clenched teeth.
Enjaku cringed at the sound his opponent made; that wasn’t the sound of royalty.
“I took your ability to mold chakra, fought your AI friend, and now I’m going to bring you back home.”
The earthen spikes would withdraw, slowly leaving Hideo’s body in an excruciating manner. Enjaku would blink his scythe and pike away with Wūji, then walked over to the trembling Chancellor.
“I missed all your vitals. I don’t kill.”
The two were just a few meters apart now. In a moment, they would be ensnared within a black box.
And now they were back in Hideo’s kingdom - before them was Megumi, Banri, and E.
Enjaku would grab Hideo by his arm and toss him forwards, sending the bleeding Chancellor to the floor in front of the trio.
”I have retrieved the goods.” He said, offering Megumi a mild two-finger salute. “He’s still in one piece, too. Bleeding a bit, but nothing too major.”
It seemed as though Enjaku had purposefully not ran Hideo all the way through when he staked him - an act of mercy.
”So…” vocalized Banri who stirred in Megumi’s lap, having finally come around. His eyes were a bit cloudy and he loosed a yawn.
“You finally got yours. Serves you -ahhnn- right.”
“BANRI!” shouted Megumi as she buried her face into his chest. “I’ve missed you so much. Everything’s gonna be okay, love, Hideo will face justice.”
While the couple fawned over each other, E popped a squat and began working on the indisposed Chancellor, inspecting and carefully cauterizing wounds.
“Enjaku Ūtsuro, a well fought battle.” Commended the robot. “But the war is not over yet.”
Another robot; this one was good.
”Thanks, dude.” Enjaku replied, giving him a thumbs up.
“And yeah, I know. I’m about to go topside. Hideo is coming with.”
”As you please. He is not part of my directive, but know he must remain alive. The kaijū are still at large.”
“Yup, I gotcha.” Enjaku said reassuringly as he stopped to grab Hideo. He flung the man over his shoulder before straightening.
“He asked me a question before we fought, so now that we’ve settled things, I’m going to give him the answer.”
“I wonder what they’ve been doing.” Mused Keshin from outside Kamatari’s door. No matter how many times he visited his son’s home, he could never get used to the luxurious estate Kamatari occupied. It almost made him wish he’d stuck around in samurai-land as a young man.
Hachiman had come with him. As of late, she didn’t seem to be at odds with Kama, at least, not nearly as much as she used to be. She was no longer blatantly disrespectful in his presence, which was nice.
Kamatari seemed indifferent. Typical, really.
”Teaching Jin vulgar words,” replied Hachiman as snow flurries decorated her hair. “Akazukin in particular.” She scrunched her nose in distaste.
Keshin rolled his eyes as he opened the door.
“We’re here to get her.” The Sixth announced, looking over at his two children. They were sitting on the floor in front of the sofa, playing cards.
Jin was obviously winning.
”Hi.” Kamatari said dryly.
“Hi daddy! Hi mommy!”
“Hey Keshin! Hey Hachi!” Added in Akazukin, mimicking Jin’s zeal.
“Hello you two,” said Hachiman with a smile as she gave Jin a hug who had ran up to her. She ignored Akazukin’s greeting. “Did you have fun?”
Jin nodded. “Yeah, I beat Kama in cards! It’s cuz-“
”I really suck at card games.” Her brother said, interrupting his little sister. He cast a warning look towards Jin for a brief moment.
”OHHH! Yeah! That’s why!”
A brief look of suspicion crossed Hachiman’s face before she returned to her smile.
”Are you ready to go home?”
”Uh-huh!”
Jin would turn and hug her brother, hanging off his neck and leaning forwards.
“Bye-bye! I love you!”
”Love you. Be good.”
After releasing him from her grip, she would hop onto the back of the sofa, pulling herself up with her arms and legs. She rolled over the side and landed on top of Akazukin.
”Bye-bye, Uncy!”
She gave him a smooch on the forehead before darting off to Keshin, who seemed amused.
”Uncy?”
”Don’t hate,” said Akazukin from his comfy position.
The Sixth picked his child up with a chuckle. Before he and Hachiman turned to leave, he waved.
“Later.”
”Yeah, be safe.” Kamatari mumbled, cleaning up the cards and stacking them in his hands.
”See ya.”
When everyone had finished their goodbyes, Kamatari stood up. He looked out his front door at the trio outside as they walked away.
”I figured out her ability.”
”It’s something to do with the order of things happening, right?”
Kama nodded, still watching his father, sister, and step-mother.
”Probably. She knew what would happen, but didn’t know how. She knows the result, but not specific details of the process.”
He scratched his head and turned around, mildly irritated.
“I didn’t want Dad or Hachiman to find out. Jin doesn’t need to be exploited.”
”Exploited? By them? HA!”
Akazukin focused on the television for a moment, watching a Chūnin Exam happening in a foreign village.
“You really think so?”
”I don’t know the first thing about Hachiman, aside from the fact she’s a bit slow in the head.”
Kamatari walked over to his recliner - adjacent to the threshold from Akazukin. He plopped down into it and propped his feet up on the extendable leg rest.
“But I’m unsure about Dad. After that shit you two pulled, I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
”Honestly, valid.”
A young ninja, from the Land of Fire, participating in the exam leapt into the air and rained fireballs down upon the arena. His opponent, a fellow ninja from the Land of Water, weaved an impressive amount of signs before shooting a wall of water skyward to meet the flames.
”Strong kids,” remarked Akazukin as he leaned into the couch. He turned to his leader with a serious look in his eye.
“I hear ya. You’re the boss.”
Slumping back in the chair, he smiled.
“Mom came in second place in one of those tournaments.”
Meanwhile, outside, Keshin had put Jin on his shoulders as they walked. She was loosely holding onto his head, having wrapped her arms around his head.
“Where are we going?”
“Dunno. Still figuring that out.” Her father replied.
While father and daughter chittered together, Hachiman was thinking back to Kamatari’s interjection. Obviously, it was something he didn’t want them to know about Jin - what could it be? Something she thinks she’ll get in trouble for?
“Didn’t you want to watch the samurai-in-training sparring matches?” She recalled.
”Depends on what Jin wants to do.”
The child giggled, patting her father’s hair.
“Hmmmmmmmmm~- I know!”
She moved her head to his ear, whispering something. Keshin nodded his head in response.
“Okay, you’re on your own, though. I’m not good at that.”
”At what?”
He turned to Hachiman while they walked.
“She wants to play at a park and make friends.”
Her child? Play with those little… creatures? She shuddered at the thought. But it was what Jin wanted and it’ll be good for when Keshin inevitably enrolls her in the dojo.
“Sure Jin,” said Hachiman with a wide smile. “We can go to the park.”
This was going to be a long day.
Enjaku had taken Hideo to the top of one of the skyscrapers. From here they could clearly see the turmoil that had broken loose in the Land of Precious Stones’s capital. Monstrous creatures roared below, citizens screamed, and the sound of chaos filled the air.
The Jīzo was standing at the edge of the skyscraper, Rinnegan taking in the destruction.
So pointless. These people had done nothing wrong.
”You asked me how I unlocked the true potential of my eyes.” Enjaku started, turning his head to look at Hideo. He had bound the latter in the Outer Path’s chains. They gave off a faint purple glow - this was obviously overkill.
Hideo couldn’t use chakra anymore.
”I’m gonna show you.”
A black rod would seep out from his palm. Enjaku hopped over to where Hideo was restrained.
“Any guesses as to where this is going?”
”You’re going to torture me.”
”No. That’s some sicko shit.”
He lightly tapped the rod on Hideo’s head before turning around.
“You said the most important part of being a leader is being feared and respected. I’d say that’s the least important thing.”
The Chancellor scoffed. “Then what is?”
A scream mingled with the sound of shattering was heard in the distance.
”Pain.” Enjaku said dryly. “You’re not fit to guide your people through difficult times without sharing their pain.”
He crouched down in front of Hideo, facing him again.
“The world knows pain. People know pain, but you have to share that pain to truly understand others.”
The rod would poke Hideo’s nose.
“But you don’t seem to know what your people experience, or understand it correctly. You haven’t been brought together it seems.”
The black receiver would become intertwined with the chains that bound Hideo. Enjaku wedged it between the links before standing back up.
“Get ready. This’ll hurt, but it’s worth it.”
As the Chancellor’s agonized screams echoed throughout the wailing city, a fissure appeared across the darkened sky, as if the very fabric of this world had been marred.
A gruff, booming voice echoed across the land.
“I dream for those little ones who have lost their way. I dream for those undeserving of Her love.”
From the split emerged a large, masculine being, it’s skin rosé, it’s hair luxuriously long white locks. It had three pairs of muscle-bound arms, all crossed, and a yet wrathful, threefold visage with tusk-like teeth and a third eye; it was gold in color, a stark contrast to the coal-black of the other two.
“Hush now, all you dreamers who wish for better for I shall have my due. This world shall be restored to what it once was and our dreams shall reign eternal.”
“For in dreams, we shall slumber together forever. For in dreams, the memory of us shall never be forgotten.”
The strange being unleashed a horrific roar across perhaps the entirety of Nishino, the sheer force behind the shockwave crumbling unstable buildings and shattering every window within vicinity. Unfortunate bystanders closest to its location were blasted away, their bones rattling, flesh scored, eardrums burst.
”…”
”… Are you seeing this?” The sound of E’s voice echoed in Ritsu’s ear.
“… Yeah,” replied Ritsu who had just finished slaying the oddest ensemble of kaijū - a pair bloated and riddled with eyes and a quartet with human-like heads and torsos, but serpentine lower bodies. “I see it.”
“T-thank you!” stammered the family he had saved from the creatures before fleeing further down the road, bodies of the dead, both human and inhuman, littering it.
Sora was watching over Ritsu’s efforts from an outcrop on a nearby building. His legs dangled over the side.
He was quite high off the ground. How he had gotten up there was a mystery.
”That didn’t sound good.” He said, looking down at his companion. “It’s vernacular reminds me of the Sleeping Goddess.”
”I know.” A bead of sweat trailed down Ritsu’s forehead. “It’s a male though - another ‘distant aspect’ of her perhaps?” He looked again at the imposing being, sizing it up. “Not quite near what we felt from the other.”
Concern flashed across his face before his expression changed to one of realization.
”Ah, well, even though he’s got some real pressure around him, this indeed doesn’t feel as intense as that lady did.”
”Perhaps you can get a few lic-“
The new arrival had suddenly blitz Ritsu, towering above him while one of its brawny arms bore down upon, gripping his head, before hurling him into the building Sora sat on and instigating its collapse.
”Ritsu!” Sora yelled in a panic as he began to fall.
Definitely not a normal foe - he out-sped Ritsu.
The older man would kick off of a falling piece of cement and send himself flying up a bit. It wasn’t much, but enough for him to awkwardly latch onto an adjacent building.
With a heave and a groan, he pulled himself up onto a similar ledge.
“Ritsu! Get up!”
The being turned it’s attention to Sora only for a set of rods to piece through all three of its eyes, along with several throughout its body at key points, forcing it to its knees.
Ritsu emerged from the settling dust, walking towards the wounded being with a mechanical gauntlet attached to his hand and arm again. His right eye burned like a dying sun, the sclera the stellar depths of space.
Shōjōruten: the truth that nothing lasts. It was with this divine power that Ritsu may sequester the traits or conditions of others or objects - in this case, he could only impose a limit upon this monster’s physical strength and durability due to its own sheer transcendence.
It was enough for his counterattack to draw blood, but even now it’s power was slowly but steadily increasing and would soon make maintaining this stipulation troublesome.
He couldn’t afford to play around here. It was now or never.
“You approach me, the Asura, freely? The wrath of She Who Slumbers?” The being questioned. “The arrogance of Māra has tainted your good sense, Voice Hearer. Concede and I may offer you mercy.”
Ritsu raised his mechanized arm, holding his palm towards Asura. In its center was a processor - a dual chakra amplification and emission device. A small pinpoint of orange light could be seen emanating from it.
“Go back to sleep.”
An absolutely tremendous blast was issued from the gauntlet, engulfing Asura and the entirety of the surrounding city block. Stray kaijū were outright disintegrated along with anything else in the wave of energy’s wake. Being processed by technology, this was a purely physical phenomena; loopholes such as chakra absorption or nullification had no bearing, one could only face the full brunt what was coming to them.
Sora was just pulling himself back up into a standing view of the fight when Ritsu released this cataclysmic blast on Asura. Wobbling a bit, he gripped the side of the building and called out to the man.
”That get him?!”
As the wave of power faded, the body of Asura lied scorched before Ritsu. It’s flesh was seared away, uncovering inflamed muscle and bleached bone. A black substance leaked from its form and puddles beneath him.
Ichor. The blood of these… gods.
Sora would hop from the ledge and land next to Ritsu.
”Are you okay, bud?”
Asura’s body twitched then stood, its wounds rapidly healing before Ritsu’s eyes. The rods piercing it’s body fell out as the flesh around them was rejuvenated.
Regeneration of this level? This was going to be far more difficult than anticipated.
Sora was whisked away and repositioned at the capital building. Megumi did say it was a safe haven during times like this.
“Why are you even doing this?” Ritsu asked as Asura took a step towards him. “What is this due you keep going on about?”
“This world many cycles ago was ruled by what the illuminated of your kind calls the Shindashin.” Asura answered. “It is now plagued by those false and it’s denizens ignorant of truth. The realms of dreams and hopes and sleep are my domain.”
“So you decide to spawn monsters and kill innocent people? Maybe it’s for the best if you stayed dead.”
“My awakening would be a mercy upon this reality. I know what those eyes of yours may perceive, yet you pretend you are incapable of understanding, Voice Hearer of Māra. In me and in dreams, there is no more pain. No more tribulations. And in end, with Her, there shall be salvation.”
“For you to deny me, for you to defy me, you damn your kind and yourself to the unimaginable agony of Māra. All those who have passed know peace now and slumber with me, dreaming soundly.”
When Sora reappeared, he was standing behind a group of soldiers outside. They lied at the ready in case the kaijū made their way back over.
Corpses lined the estate’s grounds - both civilian and inhuman.
From here, the battle between Ritsu and the Sleeping Goddess’ extension was visible. It seemed as though Sora had been relocated for safety purposes.
”Be careful.” He muttered, looking over the soldiers and into the chaos beyond.
Elsewhere, Enjaku had grown tired of Hideo’s screaming.
The rod that he had placed near the Chancellor’s chest dissipated, ceasing the pain he endured. Hideo had been screaming nonstop since the receiver was activated.
“So, how’s it feel being on the other end of the stick?” Jīzo inquired, sitting cross-legged in front of Hideo. “Seeing what your people see, feeling what they feel. Sucks, doesn’t it?”
The Chancellor trembled before devolving into a mad cackle.
“All this… bluster… just for that… thing to destroy us all.”
”Nah, you guys will be good.” Enjaku said in a reassuring tone. “Ritsu’s got you.”
They were back with Megumi, Banri, and E once more. They would materialize in inverse fashion: a shackled Hideo now just in front of the trio while Enjaku stood behind him.
”Okay, you guys can have him now.”
“How is it out there?” Asked Banri. “It felt like an earthquake just struck.”
Enjaku nodded. “Yeah, Ritsu’s fighting the boss. Probably going to go help him shortly.”
He would tip Hideo forwards, causing him to hit the ground with a “THUD!”
“We saw some weird entity before all this happened, and this kinda feels like the same thing. A baby version, or a fragment.”
The man would put a hand to his chin as he pondered everything he knew about the situation.
“Can’t put my finger on it exactly, but there seems to be a similarity between Ritsu and the monsters. Aura-wise, anyways. Ideas?”
”It would be wise for you to consult Ritsu directly rather than speculate.” E warned. “He deserves that at the least.”
Megumi remained silent while Banri nodded in agreement.
”Well, yeah, robot-dude.” Enjaku replied, seemingly still in thought. “I just figured he must have some sort of natural advantage.”
He went to turn as if leaving, but faced the robot one more time. Out of the three present, he imagined the metal one would have the best idea of what was occurring outside.
“The older guy’s okay, right? He’s not in the way of the fighting?”
”Sora has been placed at the doorstep of this building behind the cover of armed soldiers. He is as safe as one can be at this time.”
”Cool. I’m gonna see if Ritsu needs help.”
Enjaku disappeared and left the siblings, Banri, and robot behind, and would reappear next to Ritsu, who seemed to be in the middle of listening to a speech from this entity.
“You good?” He asked the “Voice Hearer”, cloak billowing from his sudden transmission. “Need help?”
”Be my guest,” said Ritsu as an iron rod appeared in his grasp. Enjaku’s black pike would manifest as well, brandishing it at his side while watching Asura walk towards them.
”Is he, like, a piece of the chick from before?”
”He is her actually,” he deduced. “He’s the masculine aspect of the Sleeping Goddess, her other side, and a manifestation of her wrath. Like an avatar of sorts.”
“Once again you reject my gift. The offer shall not be made again.”
Asura surged forward, nigh-imperceptibly, It’s six fists poised to strike the Voice Hearer down, ignoring Enjaku altogether.
The attack somehow slipped through Ritsu’s form, steam rising from his insubstantial body. He stepped to the side, right eye gleaming, and cracked the rod against Asura’s head before vanishing and reappearing overhead behind him.
Ritsu stabbed the rod downward, running it clean through Asura’s nape and pinning him to the ground.
Shōjōruten was still keeping things manageable for now, but after that regeneration it grew even stronger, faster, more resilient than before.
”Okay, maybe you didn’t need help.” Muttered Enjaku in a playful manner. He eyed the being, visibly interested and confused at the same time.
“But, if he just keeps coming back, what do we do? If he’s really just an avatar, he’s as strong as she wants him to be?”
Recalling their first encounter with this type of power, he came to the conclusion that the deity herself outclassed them in every aspect. This one seemed doable enough, but for how long?
“Think we can seal him?”
Asura bucked back, knocking Ritsu off before removing the rod from its neck.
“Meaningless.”
His center pair of arms made a foreign gesture by pressuring his wrists together and opening up his hands in a splayed fashion. The thumbs touched each other on the side, the pinkies doing the same. His remaining fingers pointed upward, creating an almost bowl like shape.
In response, Asura’s body rippled and he grew in size, nearly another foot. He unleashed another shockwave, his aura drastically different from what he previously displayed and a pressure hanging in the air.
Quintessence.
“Anything is a good idea at this point.” Ritsu’s right eye was still at work but barely - whatever Asura just did with that peculiar hand sign was the last thing they needed.
As soon as Ritsu opened his mouth, Enjaku had already formed and hurled a black sphere towards Asura - Chibaku Tensei. It seemed to move at a quicker speed than most, and was already pulling debris in.
”Throw some of the extra-strong steam with that!” Enjaku yelled over the deafening pressure as he hurled several black rods towards the dark ball. As it pulled Asura in, he was hoping they could drown him in Ritsu’s steam - the stakes would find their way to their foe thanks to the gravitational pull.
A corrosive pocket of steam obscured Asura’s form as rubble smashed into it. He remained composed however, still maintaining his stance despite what was occurring.
Enjaku continued watching as the sphere went to work, pulling in Asura, rubble, and allowing the rods to collide with their target. The satellite grew bigger until it completely hid their enemy from view. He was sealed inside with the steam.
“Okay, now maybe…”
He weaved a few signs, ending with the “Rat” symbol. When he did, lava began to ooze from the large earthly sphere. It floated just three or so meters above the ground, and seemed to take up all the space between the adjacent rows of buildings.
Enjaku switched signs again, ending with the “Tiger” now - his index and pointer intertwined.
Ice froze over the sphere, and the chilling air seemed to rapidly cool the lava into obsidian.
“What n-“
The satellite cracked down the middle across its entirety before folding open, splitting two halves and revealing Asura unscathed in the center. A pair of his hands gripped the two pieces of the Chibaku Tensei, holding them up through sheer strength alone.
Ritsu sighed. ”I figured that wouldn’t work.”
”WELL, YOU COULDA TOLD ME!” Enjaku said, turning to the long-haired combatant, comically yelling.
He felt as though they were just wasting chakra at this point. Damage couldn’t be dealt directly, and he didn’t even want to bother trying to erase him with Wūji Release.
He was an avatar, not a natural, real living being. Erasing him wouldn’t matter, since he was just an extension of a god.
But beating him up didn’t either.
The two halves of the satellite disappeared, and Enjaku would sigh in similar fashion to Ritsu.
“I mean, I’m getting the same vibe from you two.” Jīzo said, eyeing the still demon. “Like you guys have the same essence to some degree.”
”Is there a way we can exploit your bad juju to combat his?”
Asura appeared in the blink of an eye between Ritsu and Enjaku, at last having released its strange hand sign. The air around it was thick and stifling.
Before they could react, he rammed his thick forearm into Enjaku’s body, sending him barreling away. As for Ritsu, he seized him by the midsection with rib shattering strength then leapt into the air. He piledrove him through the length of a skyscraper, all the way to the ground floor. Once there he lifted him up then slammed him into the concrete again and again, the sound of bones breaking echoing through the air and blood staining the floor, before at last launching him out and through several buildings.
“Come now, Voice Hearer and ally. I expected more.”
In the distance, Sora watched as Enjaku and Ritsu were swiftly dispatched.
“Damn.” He said in a gruff tone, reaching into his pocket. In a moment, he would retrieve a thick cigar and bring it up to his mouth
”C’mon, Ritsu.”
A red light burst from his finger, hand pointed like a gun, and he inhaled the smoke.
“Don’t tap out yet.”
“Hey miss! Your eyes are pwetty!”
A child playing with Jin said this in the middle of a game of tag before running off again.
Hachiman was ready to go.
Keshin snickered at the comment while the kids played. He prodded Hachiman’s waist from his spot on the bench - she was sitting next to him.
”Pwetty eyes, miss.” He mocked.
They had taken Jin to a quaint park on the outskirts of a town within the Land of Ogres. It was a remote land, and Keshin felt as though their presence would be the least-alarming in a land that wasn’t directly affiliated with one of the Five Great Nations.
Even in the Land of Iron, they were able to move more freely. Specifically in the land governed by the Fūjiwara, that is.
There was a swingset, a set of monkey bars, and a slide present here. A bench and a picnic table occupied the outer edges of the park, and it seemed to be enclosed on all sides by trees.
Two other pairs of parents were sitting at the table, seemingly uninterested in interacting with Hachiman and Keshin. Understandable.
”At least I have eyes.” She baited back.
”C’mon… Really?”
He chuckled as he “watched” Jin run around with the other kids. Even though she seemed to be one of, if not the slowest one of the bunch, she seemed to be having the time of her life. He couldn’t see her face, but he watched her little soul dart back and forth in the grass.
”We should move.” Keshin said. “Somewhere she can live normally.”
”There is no human concept of ‘normal’ for us”, she replied, raising her left leg and placing it across her right knee. “We will always be trapped to what our genetics have already predetermined.”
He shrugged, throwing an arm around her.
“You say that, but our half-Ōtsutsuki child is clearly losing tag cuz she’s slow.”
”Surely a flaw due to her Enenra heritage.”
Keshin laughed. As if on queue with Hachiman’s comment, Jin tripped and fell, giggling to herself before she got back up and continued running with the other children.
“Maybe. Either way, I think it’s better if she got to just be a kid. I don’t want her to have to train in a dojo, or worry about dying at an early age.”
He sighed, rubbing his wife’s side.
“Would be kinda shitty of us to make her a fighter if she doesn’t need to be.”
Hachiman considered her husband’s words for a moment. Could Jin just pretend to be a human child? No, it’d be irresponsible - she has the potential to be a wellspring of untamed power. An outburst, a passing threat, or even a small misunderstanding could become more.
“She does not have to become a samurai or agent against the Ōtsutsuki Will. But that does not mean such things will not eventually find her.”
He nodded understandingly.
“I’m not saying we can’t teach her to protect herself. She definitely needs to get faster.”
Jin was lagging behind, gleefully chasing the other children.
”But I mean, wouldn’t it be cool if she grew up to have a normal job? She could be an artist, or a dancer, or an actor.”
A certain sentiment would change Keshin’s smile - a much softer grin. He was proud of his daughter.
“Sounds much better than what we do. She could wake up, go to work, make friends and money, and the biggest thing she’d have to worry about is bills and boyfriend problems.”
That last bit elicited distaste in Hachiman’s mind.
“I’m content with her being whatever she wants to be. So long as she doesn’t take after Akazukin.”
”Oh, definitely. We’ll move as far away as possible.”
Jin would run up to her parents, stopping in front of the bench and panting as she flapped her arms to the side. She was wearing a gray hoodie, but the sleeves were far too long.
“Okay… Haaaah… I’m…”
She gasped, not used to doing that much running.
”I’m ready to go home. That was fun!”
”Absolutely, we can go dear.” Said Hachiman as she stood and created a portal.
Keshin would stand up, walking behind Hachiman as Jin follow.
They would emerge back in their living room. Once Jin had ran off to grab herself a drink, Keshin motioned to smack his wife’s behind.
”Nooo~! Don’t do that!” Jin called from the kitchen.
“What? Excuse me?!” Keshin said playfully, retracting his hand. “Why?”
Jin huffed, peeking from behind the counter and pointing at her eyes.
“Because I saw it. If you do that now, I’ll have a little brother or sister in nine months!”
Her father looked at her in confusion.
”I’ll let you know when you can do it, ‘kay?”
While Keshin seemed to write it off as Jin simply having fun, Hachiman felt there was more to this. She sounded almost prophetic. And with the strange interaction with Kamatari and Akazukin earlier…
No. Let Jin be a child. Let her be… “normal”.
Hachiman and Keshin put together a delicious dinner, the poor blind man helping as well as he could, and the day began to wind down.
Keshin was sitting at the dining room table across from Hachiman, who had Jin at her side. As usual, the child was making fun of Keshin for missing bits of his steak with the fork.
”Haha! You missed again!”
”It’s hard to do without sensing it, Jin.” He replied, holding back a laugh. “I’m trying not to cheat.”
Jin giggled, peeking over the side of the table from her chair. It was the same height as her parents’, but she was not.
“So, how long will you be gone tomorrow?”
”Not too long, maybe a few hours. Daddy has to defeat a bad man.”
”Ohhh! How bad is he? What did he do?”
Hachiman’s eyes settled on Keshin, awaiting his response. While he and Jin ate, she sipped a glass of red wine.
”He takes chakra from people. He’s a thief.” Keshin replied, finally stabbing a piece of cut-up steak. “He’s also hurt a lot of innocent people.”
”Is that why you don’t have chakra?” Jin said, jumping up in her seat.
He laughed at her comment. “No, silly. I was born this way.”
Jin cocked her head to the side, confused.
“Why don’t you and Kama have chakra?”
”Dunno. Just how it is.”
”I’m glad I have chakra, that would be weird if I didn’t.” The child concluded, sitting back down.
“What time are you going?”
”Not long after we wake up. I want to have the rest of the day to spend with you and mommy.”
”Okay! What are we going to do?”
”Look for a house.”
”And where exactly do you have in mind?” Hachiman finished her glass and set it aside. “And with what currency would you purchase it? That is how that works here correct?”
”Land of Ogres.” He said with a smile as he brought the fork to his mouth. He chewed his steak before continuing.
”The samurai have been paying me for the last century, and I don’t think people in that land will bat an eye to you having horns. They got weirder things there, like the Mōryō legend, and the Ūtsuro Clan.”
Ūtsuro? That boy’s clan resides there?
“Is that why we went to that park? A trial run to see if Jin could make friends with local children?”
”I guess so.” He said. Jin clapped her hands.
”They’re all really nice. And the land is pretty!”
Keshin coughed, almost choking on a piece of steak. After tapping his chest a few times, he collected himself.
”Plus, I think someone from the Ūtsuro Clan took those eyes I told you about. Not sure if you still remember, that was years ago.”
”It was. I met him when I first resurrected. Deemed himself the kind person to keep my vessel safe, but in actuality he wished to interrogate me while I was trapped in what he called Wūji.”
”Really?”
Keshin’s face grew intrigued. Jin, on the other hand, was more focused on her macaroni and cheese.
“Have you seen him since then? What was he asking you?”
”He wanted to know if I knew what Wūji was as an Ōtsutsuki - I only had some idea of it because this vessel did. He also wanted to know why I wanted to…”
Hachiman trailed off and nodded to Jin. She assumed he’d understand what she meant.
He did. It was strange.
“Hmm… well, I guess he’s fine. As long as he isn’t bothering you.”
Keshin sipped from his glass of water, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
“If he really did keep your vessel safe, then I guess he can’t be all that bad. Protecting the wife is priority number one.”
”Nooo, it’s me!” Jin cooed, tapping her spoon on the table.
”You’re right. Priority number two for mommy.”
Hachiman stood and pushed her chair in.
“Let’s get you ready for bed, Jin. In a nice bubble bath first.”
Jin yawned then hopped out of her chair, being sure to push it in as well, and took her mothers leading hand to the bathroom.
Her usual nighttime routine didn’t take long. A bath, brushing the teeth, quick bedtime story (which Keshin joined for), and goodnight kisses.
Once she’d been tucked in some time later, Keshin and Hachiman had made themselves cozy in the living room. They’d sat down on the couch together, discussing the plan for tomorrow.
“He’s currently causing tremors and shit at Takachiho.” Was part of the explanation the Sixth gave to his wife. “He’s inside another one of the Ikezu.”
”He’s still struggling against the Abyss aspects of the body, though. I can’t hurt him until he’s fully manifested.”
”And so tomorrow, he’ll be-“
The walls of their lodging trembled ever so slightly.
Hachiman stopped mid-sentence, a sudden feeling of dread striking her. It was the strangest thing - as if a foreboding pressure tinged with a peculiar chakra hung onto the air, but just as quickly as she felt it, the disturbance passed on.
“Sorry,” she said. “I just felt something… odd. Ancient. But it’s gone now.” Hachiman tucked Keshin’s hair behind his ear as he was lying across her lap (as well as one of his height could). “As I was saying, he’s projected to take control tomorrow?”
”Yup.” Her husband said, seemingly unfazed by whatever it was she felt. Perhaps he didn’t feel it?
“If not, should be enough for me to fully pull him through and awaken him.”
He sighed. “Though, I dread fighting him again.”
”And here I was thinking you were so excited.”
”Nah, I’m fucking scared.”
Hachiman caressed his face, a comforting touch.
“It’s okay to be afraid. If there was any way I could help you, you know I would.”
His face remained blank as he faced upwards.
”Yeah, well, I just gotta do it.”
Keshin sat up, leaving her lap and resting his hands on his knees as he turned to sit on the couch normally. Leaning forwards, he shook his head a few times before chuckling.
”Eh, what the hell. I beat him before, can’t be too bad the second time around.”
”Only difference is you’re blind now.”
”Exactly. I’ll be alright.”
He got up from the couch, stretching his arms and letting out a yawn.
“But, y’know, in case I die tomorrow, I love you… and stuff.”
”Hush; like you said, you’ll be alright.”
Hachiman stood and pulled him into a warm embrace, skimming his back as she did and nuzzling his chest.
“And I love you too.”
Enjaku had dug himself out of several floors worth of rubble, sitting atop the debris and staring into the consecutive holes that his body had made through a building’s entirety.
“Jeez…” He said before coughing. Blood spattered from his mouth onto the rubble below. He wiped his lips before sighing heavily.
What were they supposed to do in this situation?
Kaijū of all kinds slunk into the vicinity, vicious teeth and claws ready to sink into Enjaku’s flesh. On the outside, the kaijū seemed to be emboldened as Ritsu’s mist began to dissipate.
Did that mean…
”Oh…” The Jīzo muttered, picking himself up. As he rose, his body swayed left and right, hands gripping his pike and holding it straight across his legs.
“Can you all buzz off?”
He sighed, then groaned as he rolled his shoulders. Yin-Yang chakra rolled off of Enjaku in waves. He was a bit physically traumatized, but he had loads of chakra left.
”Die.”
The air snapped, and all of the space around him was suddenly displaced in chunks as if cut up and rearranged. Kaijū’s body parts appeared to be replaced with the parts of others, and some were just suspending midair.
There was a slight delay before they burst into blood and bodily fluids. Bodies dropped around the premise of the broken building.
Enjaku walked through the arson and carnage, grimacing as he stepped towards a hole in the wall.
“You better not be dead…”
”Get up…”
At the edge of the city lied the broken body of Ritsu Sakaki. His limbs were agonizingly contorted, bones pulverized, and blood seeped from his ears and mouth. His eyes were open, but the light within them was fading.
He failed Megumi. He failed Banri. He failed Nishino.
He failed himself.
What would Minobi think, seeing him like this. Him never coming back to her. The pain she would feel at losing the one person she loved and felt could understand her.
There was so much he wanted to do, so much left unfulfilled, promises not kept.
Darkness crept within his peripherals then overtook his vision entirely as time seemed to grind to a halt.
“Not yet, Voice Hearer.”
A voice like the sweetest honey graced his ears. The same voice from that day…
Ah, how could he forget?
His life was not truly his own anymore. It’s been made clear now - he was the Voice Hearer of Māra, a mere pawn in the end. He, of the billions of people, was brought back for a reason.
A reason that still eludes him.
A wispy aura reminiscent of smoke and shadow clung to Ritsu’s form, his injuries miraculously healing in moments, bones realigning with sickening pops. As he stood, a pressure radiated from him, causing the atmosphere to violently shift between black and white across the entirety of Nishino, perhaps further.
He was slipping, losing himself. Trespassing upon the power he’s been afraid to intrude.
But he needn’t worry now. So he would hold on. For just a little longer.
“W-what’s happening?!” Stammered a soldier at the ready in front of the capital building.
“The sky? How is this possible?!” Exclaimed another.