It had been a few days since the gruesome three years had ended. The summer rays graced the land with their warmth, and the weather showed that it would rain soon. After completing their training with Hanzo, Kazuo and Mikoto met a familiar face upon arrival at Kaminari village. The duo were now nineteen and eighteen respectively and had become taller and also looked even stronger than before.
"Whoa, I almost didn't recognize y'all for a second." Haru smiled, showing off the moustache he had been growing. "What's with all those muscles?"
He laughed, and they joined in.
"I see you've finally graduated too… congratulations!" said Mikoto, noting the lightning kanji on Haru's armour.
"Yo, congrats bro!" Kazuo said and chuckled. "I'm probably the last undergrad from our class now."
They all laughed again and Haru said, "Thank you guys, I graduated last year and I'm now a ninja guard. What about you two? Are y'all together or something?"
"Huh?" asked Mikoto, moving away from Kazuo. Her face turned red as she asked, "What makes you say that?"
"I saw you two holding hands from the distance and thought y'all must be f–"
Haru saw Kazuo gesturing at him to stop, but it was too late. He had just dug his own grave. "Eh!" he gasped as he saw Mikoto clenching a fist and charging towards him. In a flash, Kazuo jumped in front of Haru to prevent him from meeting his ancestors.
"Get out of the way, Kazu-kun." Mikoto halted before she almost pummeled Kazuo's face. "My quarrel isn't with you," she said as steam puffed through her ears and nostrils.
"You better apologize to her real quick, bro." Kazuo stood in between them with outstretched arms. He looked back at Haru and continued, "Before we get a repeat of what happened four years ago."
"I'm very sorry Mrs. Inazu–I mean Miss Chiba," said Haru in a frightened tone. His voice and knees were shaking as he trembled in fear. "I–I won't say it again."
"Good," said Mikoto when she had calmed down.
"Hahaha bro, you almost pissed your pants!" Kazuo cackled as they strolled to the ninja school.
Along the way, Haru stopped clowning and filled them in on all the gossip they had missed. Kohaku was training to be a doctor in the Medical Corp. Kenji and Ayame were in the Battalion Corp under Captain Natsumi. One of the more interesting topics was that Shin and Asuka now had a two-year-old daughter named Asami. Mikoto's face lit up when she heard news of her senpai's child. She hoped she could train the little one in the future, if she ever chose the path of a kunoichi.
"By the way, Takumi came back a week ago… said he's on vacation, or something."
"Really?" asked Kazuo. "Is he still around, or has he left?"
"I'm sure he's still around 'cause I haven't seen him leave."
When the trio reached the ninja school, Haru left the two of them and returned to his post. Kazuo and Mikoto walked up the flight of stairs to the Sage's office and met with Asuka, who was busy nursing baby Asami. She greeted them warmly, and they all reminisced for a while. Once Asuka finished nursing Asami, she welcomed Mikoto and Kazuo and let them hold the baby. She was a cute, white-haired little one with both her parents' features. After some time, the Sage also informed them about Takumi's visit and that he had rented an inn with his wife.
"Waifu?" asked Kazuo. "Takumi? No way!"
Mikoto also raised her eyebrows. "I agree. It can't be!"
"I guess seeing is believing," said Asuka, helping her daughter burp. She chuckled, "Here's the name of the inn… you may go find out for yourselves."
Mikoto and Kazuo said goodbye to the Sage and her daughter and then raced to the inn where their friend was staying in. To their surprise, everything they were told turned out to be true.
Takumi also could not believe his eyes when he saw his two friends for the first time in three years. He looked taller and he now had an undercut. Standing next to him was a petite woman with almond skin and dark hair buns. She appeared to be in her early twenties and was with child. She wore visor shades that were silver and an unfastened white jacket. The two Artisans had the symbol of a square inside of a circle that was printed on the left side of their jackets.
The former Lightning trio glared at each other for a few moments and embraced.
"Where are my manners?" said Takumi. "Guys, I'd like you to meet my wife… Tomoe. She insisted on coming along to see where I grew up."
Tomoe bowed and greeted her husband's friends. "You must be Mikoto and Kazuo. I've heard so much about you..."
"Hope only pleasant tales…" said Mikoto, chuckling and everyone joined her. "Congratulations, by the way!"
Kazuo also congratulated the couple and afterwards, he and Takumi left the two women to catch up on what had occurred for the past three years. Tomoe was two years Takumi's senior, and they were both Grandmasters, which was the second highest level an Artisan could ever achieve in their respective fields. He worked in mechanical whilst she was in the chemical engineering sector.
Takumi spent most of his time working on his father's prostheses technology and his own weaponry. He showed Kazuo a flintlock pistol which had a western design that he had modified. The gun's mechanism was far superior to the matchlocks they had had seen in the Earth country. During his free time, he had also learnt Mushin by himself and mastered it by the end of the second year.
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A week later, Hanzo arrived at his destination dressed as a keisatsu. He had ferried on the Firipin Sea from the Fire region to the Water country, passing the Shadow Island from a safe distance away. He waited for it to get dark and then infiltrated the country he once called home. As soon as he entered the country's wall, he took a route to the palace that only the upper heishi (soldiers) knew about.
This place brings back old memories. He faced the palace whilst hidden in some bushes. Can I go through with this? Lady Namiko was like a daughter to me when I served under Lord Yoichi.
Hanzo left his hiding spot and, just as he was about to climb the palace wall, a patrolling guard dressed in the blue heishi uniform spotted him. He threw a shuriken that soared through the air and pierced the soldier's face. He rushed over to the corpse and dragged it into the bushes he had been hiding in. With the body hidden, Hanzo made his ascent and breached the palace through a window. There was a clinking sound as shards of glass hit the floor and alerted the servants and guards.
"Intruder!" said a soldier and the corridor was swarming with more of his kind.
Hanzo drew Zanken and painted the walls red. The first group of heishi had only been armed with short spears. When the second group reached the scene with muskets, things got even more intense. The intruder dropped a smoke bomb and took cover in one room. He could hear the sounds of aimless gunfire.
"Check the rooms!" a heishi yelled. "That keisatsu couldn't have gone too far!"
Hanzo saw the wooden door sliding wide open.
"He's h–!"
Blood oozed from the heishi's mouth as he dropped to the ground with Zanken stuck in his throat. Hanzo walked over to the body and plucked his sword. He then swung it downwards, and it splattered red drops on the floor. Suddenly, a few more heishi armed with muskets and spears appeared. He counted their heads and made the Vyana mudra.
Suikenjutsu: Jukkire (Drunken sword technique: Ten cuts)!
Hanzo zigzagged and sliced through the soldiers in the blink of an eye. Ten corpses dropped to the group, and he removed the blood from his katana as he had done before. The commotion from soldiers had quieted, and only fearful servants raced around the palace corridors. He walked past the screaming commoners and sea of dead heishi on the floor and made his way to the daimyo's room.
When Hanzo reached the daimyo, she was in the embrace of another woman and they both looked terrified. The two ladies wore linen kimono robes and several clothes were on the floor and around their futon. Namiko was in her late twenties and she had fair skin, short blue bangs and eyes to match. The other woman was around her age, having long dark braids and was also light-skinned.
"Namiko Miyazaki, by order of the Earth daimyo… I sentence you to death!"
W–Wait, that voice… "Is that you? Han–" said Namiko.
Hanzo appeared in front of Namiko and placed his hand over her mouth. Before the ladies could react, he stabbed the other woman through her heart and she held on to the blade as blood gushed around her wound.
She recognized me? Hanzo faced the daimyo before he whispered, "Do you wish to live, Lady Namiko?"
Tears streamed down Namiko's cheeks as she nodded vigorously. Just as Hanzo removed his hand from her mouth, she gave him a quick slap before rushing over to her companion who lay on top of the futon with a red pool underneath.
"What have you done, Hanzo?" Namiko faced Hanzo before she turned to the other woman. "Shizuka! No! Please wake up!" she sobbed.
"I'm sorry, but she's gone," said Hanzo, trying to console her. "In order for you to live, there needs to be a body that remains. I was sent here because of my former ties to this country and if I don't carry out this mission, we'll both be dead. So I ask you this Lady Namiko, what is your choice?"
"She didn't deserve any of this…" Namiko slapped him slapped him. "I… want… to live," she finally said in between sobs.
"Right then, follow my lead. But first, we'll need to change your clothes and make it seem like you're dead." He removed Zanken from the corpse, swung it aside and sheathed it with a single hand.
As Namiko had changed into Shizuka's servant clothes, Hanzo took out his hyōtan. He poured the saké all over the corpse and threw a candle on the futon. As the body was set ablaze; he grabbed the daimyo and faced the open window. "Hold on tight."
Hanzo leapt from the window opening and landed on the outside bushes. He got up with Namiko safely in his arms and used the secret route to escape the palace. After several minutes of running in the moonlit night, they finally reached his boat and set a course toward the Fire region. The former Water General had been rowing for dear life when he noticed lanterns flickering in the distance behind them. Two navies, each with ten men, were right on their tail and increasing their speed. He could not hope to outmaneuver those huge battleships at sea.
"Soldiers! Ready your bows!" said one of the Majors. "Fire!"
They shot more than a dozen lit arrows from crossbows. When the heishi discovered the small boat's exact location, they fired again in rapid succession. Luckily for Hanzo, he avoided the first wave, but when he saw the second barrage of arrows soaring in their direction, he instructed Namiko to curl up and hide. He then drew Zanken and readied himself for the attack.
I guess I have no choice but to use that, he thought, brandishing his katana in the air. "I'll just need a few minutes to prepare…" He saw the arrows drawing closer and closer, "Jukkire!" He sliced most of the projectiles but received a shot on his arm. "Argh…" he grunted as he plucked the arrow out.
"Are you alright, Hanzo?"
"Yes, my Lady… just stay right there." I should end this before the poison spreads. He sliced off a bit of the skin that the arrow had stabbed. He tore into his haori jacket, took the small cloth and tied it around his arm. "That should do for a while."
Hanzo made the Udana mudra with the hand that held Zanken. He took five deep breaths and sparks of white light formed at his feet.
Senshin… Kōsoku!
The heishi readied themselves to fire for the third time and stopped when they saw something enveloped by a violet aura moving on top of the water at an alarming rate. The human figure ran so fast that he parted the sea as though a wave had hit behind his path. And in about six seconds, he had landed on one ship.
"Fools, what are you all staring at?" said the Major. "Shoot him d–"
The heishi were shocked to see their Major's severed head soaring in the air leaving a trail of red drops. The headless corpse fell to the ground on its knees and a pool of blood gushed from the exposed neck.
Before the soldiers could fire their arrows and muskets, Hanzo made his move.
Sen-giri (One thousand cuts)!
Hanzo swiftly zigzagged on the wooden floorboard, slaying nine heishi. He then jumped over to the second ship and cut down the remaining ten soldiers in a quick swoop. Once all twenty men were dead, Hanzo exhaled deeply and released Senshin. His heart was pounding as he dropped to the floor and took in a few more breaths to replenish his prana. When he regained a bit of his strength, he set the two ships on fire before swimming over to his boat. The daimyo also helped him with the rowing and the two fugitives paddled off to Yamaguchi Port.
"At this rate, taking the sea route would be suicidal." Hanzo paused to view the battle ships become engulfed in flames. "I doubt I could fight another fleet with this hand. Instead, we'll seek asylum in Kaen village, but first I need to see an old friend in Shiga district for this wound."
When they reached the mainland, Hanzo commandeered an unguarded horse drawn carriage with two stallions. Once they had a means of transport, they raced for the Grass region and along the way, Hanzo started shivering. He fell on the seat and Namiko had to take over the steering. The poison was kicking in.
"Lady Namiko… the person we're looking for… is a woman named Rani. If we reach our destination and I'm not awake… please send this letter to Kaminari village."