Chapter 72
AKIHITO SHIRAHOSHI
The journey to the land of Iron was quiet and contemplative. Each person in his retinue knew of the danger that lingered for them, knew of the war set to happen, and though Maito Dai was rather unique in trying to cheer up the mood, even he had given up rather quickly, realising that this was not the usual kind of crowd.
And say what you will of the eternal genin; he was strong. Akihito had been surprised to find the man alive, yet after one small talk with him, he knew that this was the man who had created the legendary technique that would become a beacon of hope for the allied shinobi forces against the indomitable Madara Uchiha.
It was cruel of him to use him this way, to bring him along as such a destructive and self-sacrificial shinobi. But Akihito was tired of playing fair, especially when it came to a shinobi who should have died. If Madara Uchiha did not care about playing fair, well, he could only reciprocate.
This was the final bout. The final battle. The Battle to end all battles and if they emerged victorious in this, all the sacrifices would be worth it.
"Is it wise bringing the two of them along," Minato asked me, as he pointed towards the carriage at the back carrying the two captured kages. And he had thought much about it, but the truth was that none could deny the strength of Ohnoki and Unruly Ay, or their influence for that matter.
If the alliance was to succeed, both Kumo and Iwa needed to see it for what it was: an alliance rather than an occupation. Both Ohnoki and Ay had been treated as per their station. He had strictly prohibited any torture, and other interrogation techniques and had made sure that they were treated well for they were still kages, and commanded the respect of thousands of shinobi.
"They can be useful assets in this fight. Assets that can help us bring our ties with Kumo and Iwa closer. It is a risk indeed, and I have been cautioned against trusting both of them by many men, but what can I say? I am a hopeless romantic," he said with a smirk, and Minato reciprocated and chuckled as he shrugged.
"As always, I will trust you. After all, you haven't led us astray yet," he said, and he nodded.
"And I am grateful for your trust, Minato-kun. None of what we have built and achieved today would have been possible without you. You made this all possible as much as I," and it was rare for both of them to have such a face given their rather bust schedules, and most of their communication would often be done through Tsunade-san, who was currently watching over their two prisoners.
And then he felt it, as a message arrived from Kurama.
And he closed his eyes, immediately.
"They have begun their search for Orochimaru," he added suddenly and saw Minato's eyes nodded.
"You still believe that the Snake-sanin is involved in this somehow," he asked and he could understand why the man would doubt him. Apart from those zetsu remnants there was nothing tying them both together, but that was enough for him with all he knew.
"Yes," he answered.
"And that he could be turned to our side," he added, and at that, Akihito shrugged.
"Orochimaru is a proud man. He is as brilliant and as conniving as a shinobi can be. If there is anyone who can make a failsafe while working for Madara Uchiha, it can only be him," Orochimaru of the Sanin was not like Kabuto. He was not blinded by ambition. He was a calculating, heartless monster.
By now, the man must have seen through Madara's intentions and realized that if the man achieved his goal, then there would be nothing left for anyone in the entire world. It would mean the end of civilization as we know it.
And in that case, he had no choice but to ally himself with us.
"And what will his cooperation cost us, and can Konoha even bear it," Minato asked.
"We will have to," he said as the carriage came to a stop as they reached their destination.
Akihito looked out the window and saw the massive spiraling city infront of him, as a retinue stepped forward.
He himself rose form his seat and stepped out of the carriage and was surprised to see the person who had come to welcome them.
"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Mifune," Akihito began, and the older samurai nodded and bowed.
"The honor is all mine, Akihito-sama," he said with a smile.
"Come let me lead you to the main castle," he said, and Akihito nodded. He joined the man, and they began to walk through the Land of Iron.
"Have the rest of them arrived?" he asked, and the older samurai nodded.
"Yes, the rest have gathered and preparations for the Grand Council are complete," he informed him.
"Then let us not waste any more time," and with that, he roused his chakra as the old man did the same, and then, in a single push, he jumped up and fell down through the hole in the rooftop and laded in the Hall where the rest of the daimyos and lords had gathered for the meeting.
As he landed slowly, he saw the two guards associated with each daimyo step forward to protect him. He also saw several familiar faces.
Fushio Suzuki was smiling at him as Utakata and Mangetsu stood infront of him. Darui and Cee stood infront of their own daimyo as a young Rasa and Chiyo did the same for theirs and so forth.
But one person had no guards there. He sat there, looking at him. Half his face was covered by the mask, and he raised a brow.
"So, you are finally here boy," he said as a greeting and Akihito nodded as he began to walk towards his seat, right at the head of the gathering on the platform raised.
"Let the Council commence."
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FUSHIO SUZUKI
The atmosphere in the Council room was tense as Akihito took his seat. His entrance was as flashy and unorthodox as his whole personality, breaking the mold of a stuffy politician.
Akihito's strength lay in his strangeness. His ability to cut through norms and anguishes so deeply rooted in their world, his ability to see beyond his circle of influence and into the whole wide world, set him apart from everyone else in the world.
And now they were all going to hear that vision.
"More than half a century ago, a similar Council was held," he began as he addressed them all, and not just them but the kage's sitting beside each one of them as well, while as a showcase of his own prowess Akihito did not have any of his own shinobi behind him.
"It was called the Five Kage summit, for its five participants. A gathering called by Hashirama Senju as he sought to put an end to the hatred of the era we now call the Warring State Period. And yet, even in that meeting, concerns were raised at the disproportionate power possessed by Konoha by virtue of it being created by the alliance of the two strongest clans of that era," he began, and it was all well-known history.
"Hashirama Senju sought to remedy that going on a campaign, as he gathered the Nine-Tailed Beasts, and then distributed them to the villages, as fail-safes, to protect their lands, and yet we would go on to make a mockery of that, mockery of all that effort and reject the very idea of peace," his voice grew louder.
"We let our conflicts grow, we fought war after war, only adding onto the mistake of Hashirama Senju as we killed millions, in the pursuit of what! NOTHING!" he roared.
"All of us gathered here are creations of that man's era. And yet, none here ever tried to live upto his dream, tried to further his dream of peace as we slaughtered one another for our greed and ambition," he continued, rising from his chair.
"And yet, now it is time for us to put an end to the era of Hashirama Senju. It is time for us to step forward and create our dreams and era. We need to correct his mistakes so that we may bring forth a better future for our children. For how long will we all continue to slaughter one another? How long shall we rejoice at the suffering of our neighbor," his tone became soft?
"I have not come here to make you submit or to make you bend the knee. I am here to welcome you into a new era, one where we shall strive to leave the world a better place. To make sure that we do not repeat the mistakes of our past and have it so that we need to send children to war. We can be better than that. We are better than that," he said as he stepped forward.
"For we may divided by borders, by color, and by so much more. But we are united in the love for our children, in the hope for their future, and so let us bring an end to this era of wars and danger and step forth into an era of peace and prosperity for all!" and many other joined him in the cheer and yet he did not miss the snarling faces of many in the crowd.
The new Earth daimyo specifically had his fists balled up and so did Kumo's as Akihito continued.
"And for all those who cannot find it in their hearts to let go of their hatred, and pain. Let me be the carrier of that burden, put it one me, your hate. Your Pain! I shall bear it as a badge of honor, I shall bear it all with a smile for I am no longer the daimyo of Fire Nation. I AM THE SHOGUN, AND I SHALL CARRY YOUR BURDENS FOR YOU!" he roared, his chakra leaking as it sent waves, cracking the very floor as he raised his fist into the air.
And then he felt it. That presence and immediately Mei was infront of him, and so were the rest of the Kages, all except the Hokage, who stood behind Akihito as a voice interrupted their gathering.
"You truly are worthy of that title, Akihito Shirahoshi," the voice rippled across the room. He looked towards the source and saw him standing on the roof, looking down at them.
"And yet you are as naive as Hashirama," he gulped as his throat dried up and Mei whispered.
"It truly is him," she gasped, and he nodded. He had seen only drawings of the man, and they could do no justice to his sheer presence as he jumped down and began to walk toward Akihito.
"Who are you?" Lord Mifune, the Samurai Lord of the land of Irons, stepped forward, as did a done or so samurai, their hands on the hilts of their blades, yet the man with the wild mane of hair was unbothered as he looked straight at Akihito.
"Wake up to reality!"
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