Chapter 22
AKIHITO SHIRAHOSHI
The whole clearing was in drop silence as the Sword of The East, Watashi Masamune, fell to the ground with a thud, his chest unmoving as the ground around him was dyed red, his blood dying the glass in deep scarlet.
His whole body was weak, drops of blood dripping down the hilt of his blade, his breaths labored as he himself collapsed, falling down on one knee, his sword clattering on the ground, as he huffed as pain ripped through his whole body, as he began to cough up blood.
"KUKH! KUKH!" his vision blurring as he realized just how much all this fighting had taken away from him. The blood loss and the use of nearly all his chakra reserves had taken a toll on him and now he was barely able to stand, as the men surrounding him finally realize just what had happened.
"He won! He defeated, Lord Masamune," he heard some in the enemy force gasp, as his own men cheered at his victory.
That was until another voice cut in.
"MEN!" and he realized that it was the voice of Masamune's companion, Ryouzan Kozuki, who stepped forward.
"Surround him!" he announced as his heart sank. The enemy force themselves was hesitant to act.
"NOW!" he shouted again as one of the men stepped forward.
"But, my lor…" but this man's, who seemed to be a high-ranking commander, words were cut mid-sentence as Ryouzan's Kozuki's blade shimmered through the air, cutting off the man's head in one swift motion, basking the whole clearing in ominous silence.
THUD!
The man's head fell to the ground with a thud, his showing the ground red once more as his whole body fell to the ground.
"NOW!" he shouted again as his men took out their swords and rushed towards him.
"This is wrong, we had an accord," some of his own men shouted as they began to surround him from the other side, forming a protective ring around him, as their forces clashed, a few of his men picked him up and hoisted him up and began to evacuate.
"Yeah, about that, you see, I have no obligation to stick with that old man's words," Ryouzan's voice cut in as he strode forward, sword drawn.
"Get him!" he shoute, as his men hoisted him up.
"We need to get you out of here, my lord," Kazuto said, his leal commander, raised his sword and commanded his men.
"MEN! FORM UP ON AKIHITO-SAMA! TEAR THROUGH THE ENEMY!" he shouted as his men began to get into formation even as his vision shifted.
His men were well trained, their eyes were hardened, and their swords at the ready, yet they were outnumbered. They would die if they went on with the plan.
Yet they were ready. They were ready to put their lives on the line for him. For they knew that if they were to win the war, he would have to win, that he would have to survive. And he knew that too, yet these men were amongst the most loyal in his retinue. And his heart didn't wish to abandon them like this, and it wished to pick up the blade once more, to fight with them, to die bleed with them.
Yet he handled his heart as he sheathed his sword, knowing that this was a war much greater than this single battle. And he had already done as much as he could.
All he could do was pray that it was enough.
A massive roar erupted they formed up on him.
Ryouzan stepped forward on the opposite side, no smile on his face, as his men took out their own swords and geared up as they stood face to face against him, no fear in their eyes.
"AGHHHHH!" and then it began, as with a rabid shout, his men rushed forward and crashed into the enemy lines, yet Ryouzan's blade simmered in the moonlight as he swung it in a swift motion.
"NINPO: Swift Strike!" and he swung his blade and cut down three of his men in one swift swing, yet his men were fearless that even with their dying steps, they pushed themselves into him, surprising the samurai as his men accosted him from all sides.
"GOOO!" came the shouts as he was led through the hordes surrounded on all sides by the clash of metal against metal, as his men clashed with Mahiro forces.
Yet the hope was short-lived as a sharp voice ran out through the clearing.
"NINPO: Wind cutter," and he was pushed to the ground as the men right in front of him fell to the ground. Ryouzan Kozuki stepped forward, dyed in red, from head to toe as Kazuto perked up.
He reached for his sword, knowing that while Kazuto was rather skilled against a man like Ryouzan, he would not last for long. Ryouzan took his stance as well, as he fought through the pain and gripped the hilt of his blade.
"My lor…" but Kazuto's words were cut off by a massive whistle that erupted from a distance as he shifted and saw a glimmer in the distance before he shouted with all his might.
"THEY ARE HERE!" came a shout, and then he jumped back, even as Ryouzan's blade cut his cheek, making him bleed yet the man was too late to react as he screamed in pain the next second.
"AHHHH!" as an arrow lodged itself into his leg, nailing him to the ground as the sound of horse hooves spread began to shake the whole area.
His heart thumped in his chest and he could see his men gain a new life as they held on for dear life as shouts began to spread everywhere.
His plan had worked. Reinforcements were here.
"AGHHH!" shouts erupted from the back as his forces began to clobber the Mahiro forces from the rear. Ryouzan Kozuki grunted and rushed towards him in rage.
"YOUUU! I WILL KILL YOU! EVEN IF IT'S LAST THING I DO!" he shouted as his sword glew an ominous red, his chakra bubbling violently as he jumped forward, and shouted.
"NINPOOOO!" but that was all he got out until his eyes widened as an arrow lodged itself in his chest tearing through the armor, as blood dripped down his lips, his hand shaking as the glimmer of his sword died down.
A man jumped from a nearby tree and put himself between Ryouzan and himself, his movements swift and smooth, a bow strapped to his back as he stood up, and in one swift motion, cut off Ryouzan's head before sheathing his blade once more.
The man then glanced back, he was middle-aged, and had a smooth face with raven black hair tied in a simple ponytail as he wore simple black armor.
Despite the situation, there was no stress on his face as their eyes met, and he glanced over him.
"What are your orders, my lord?" he questioned.
This was Shohei Tachiyama, the raven of the West and one of his prized samurai. The man had a no-sense attitude and only ever spoke in small, simple sentences.
"Kill them," he announced as he saw the dead bodies of his men and recalled the betrayal of Mahiro men.
"Kill them all," and despite the nature of the order, the man didn't show any shift and simple gave him a simple nod.
"As you wish," he said as he swung his blade and wiped away the blood from it before his eyes narrowed slightly as suddenly the very ground around him erupted with cracks.
"Ninpo: Autumn'c call!"
SHWING!
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KATSUGAWA TATSUYA
The Third Prince of the realm paced worriedly outside the room of his father as he waited for his mother. The news from the battlefield in the West of the Capital was not good, his grandfather was facing loss after loss and the young jito of Shinoi had taken hostage of his uncle.
He had been commanded to prepare his own forces, which were waiting on the borders of the capital, yet even then, there was a nervousness in the capital.
Many a lord were looking at the happening in the West with a keen eye, for all the court knew from where he drove his strength. And if the victories of the young jito of Shinoi continue, the winds of change could blow and topple the deck of cards they had built so arduously.
In the end, he heard the sound of footsteps and stopped, his heart thumping in her chest as he saw someone rather familiar race down the stairs.
His mother was trapped in a simple white kimono, the rogue she often wore gone from her face with her lips in her natural color. There was a sense of panic in her as she strode down and looked at him with a complicated gaze.
"The daimyo is dead," she uttered, and he stilled with his feet rooted to the ground.
And all over the land of fire sounded the ominous drums of war!
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