Chapitre 43: Chapter 42
Chapter 42
The palace hasn't changed much over the years. Utakata steered clear from it, as he didn't wish to remember that day when he came to this country. But it didn't seem necessary now, as he realized he could remember that day as it happened yesterday. So, it was simple for Utakata to knock out the guards one by one before the mob with Princess Koyuki arrived.
There were quite a few of them. More than the last time he was here. And there, Utakata thought that Daimyo Doto had already sent most of his men away to the city. He couldn't sense shinobi apart from one. It didn't seem that the word had come of what happened in the city, so Hidan was probably with the Daimyo.
"The path is cleared," Opening the main gates, Utakata let the mob enter the palace grounds. "Are you sure about it?"
"We have to do this," Koyuki replied as she led them. "You don't have to worry about us. Just deal with the shinobi."
Utakata could see that Koyuki felt incredible pressure. She seemed regretful. Probably because of what happened to her friends on the first day she came to the city. Utakata was surprised she didn't blame him for it, as he just watched them die and didn't interfere before it was too late. It would have been easier to blame him than herself.
"Very well," Utakata didn't have the right to disagree with her.
If Koyuki wanted to see it through by herself, Utakata had to let her. It fascinated Utakata a bit, as he clearly could sense fear in her. She knew she was just a girl with no fighting prowess, but she still marched on without hesitation. She was braver than him. He would never have had the courage to do something like that without having acquired power first.
By the time he thought he was strong enough, it was already too late. And if Harusame hadn't stopped him, Utakata didn't even know what would have happened to him. He would have probably continued taking jobs as a mercenary, just like Hidan was doing. That is why he can never forgive himself for killing his master, and he will be forever grateful for him giving him a chance to walk his path.
As the mob broke into the palace and caused a commotion, demanding Doto's head, Utakata sneaked past them. It was too late for Doto's soldiers to do anything, and they were unprepared to meet such force. So, Utakata was grateful that they didn't throw their lives away and quickly surrendered to the mob. Utakata didn't wish for bloodshed if it could be avoided.
As Utakata had expected, Hidan stayed with Doto in the throne room. It wasn't hard to follow the halls in the direction of Hidan's chakra source. He sneaked in quietly as the commotion behind him intensified. Yelling could be heard coming from there, but to Utakata's relief, he didn't hear much of fighting. Before going after Hidan, Utakata made one last time sure that there weren't any more shinobi.
"Those three failed," Doto said, dissatisfied but not afraid. "It seems that hiring you was the right thing to do after all, even if you don't come cheap."
"It isn't like you lack money," Hidan was nonchalant as he spoke. "But I am glad, too, to come work under you. I didn't expect so many sacrifices to come to me. Lord Jashin shall be pleased."
It disgusted Utakata how calmly and not seriously they have taken the situation. For all Doto knew, his people were dying fighting his soldiers. It was a coup that his niece led. Utakata couldn't believe how disconnected Doto was from the people under him. He could understand Hidan, as he was a lunatic, but Doto was the ruler of this land. He should have been upheld to higher standards.
As much as Utakata wanted to rush out and give a piece of his mind to them, he didn't. Now, when he was closer and more focused on Doto, he could feel something off from him. He had chakra. While everyone and everything had chakra, there was a vast difference between trained and untrained chakra. But the chakra coming from Doto was something between them.
It was too weak, for Utakata to take notice before. But now Utakata thought that it might not be coming from Doto but from a relic or a weapon he possessed. A man who could sell out his people, it wouldn't surprise Utakata if he bought something like this. As worried as he was about Doto, Utakata knew he couldn't wait any longer. So, he dropped from the ceiling right behind Hidan.
As silent as a gust of wind, Utakata wrapped his arms around Hidan's neck and chokeholded him. Knowing that Hidan was immortal and that it would be foolish to hold back against him, Utakata wasn't afraid to use all of his strength. Hidan's neck snapped, and his head tipped over as his body fell to the ground. Too bad Utakata didn't have a weapon with him, but just the thought of using it on someone made him sick.
"So, it is you," Doto said as Utakata stepped over Hidan's limp body.
Utakata wanted to knock Doto out and let Koyuki take over before he continued his fight with Hidan. But Utakata underestimated Hidan's ability to recover. It took merely a few moments for his neck to snap back to its original place. Hidan's chakra was strange, like it was countless chakra sources filled into one body. It wasn't particularly strong, but it was definitely weird.
Utakata blocked a Triple-Bladed Scythe flying towards him with his pipe. Utakata knew better than to let Hidan draw Utakata's blood. Pushing back the scythe off, Utakata prepared to counterattack. Hidan didn't look too disturbed as he straightened his jacket, pulled a long metal cable that was connected to the scythe, and took his weapon back into his hands.
"That hurt," Hidan commented with a twisted smile. "I guess I should introduce myself, even if you won't live long to remember my name. I am Hidan of the Village hidden in Hot Spring."
Utakata didn't know the specific limitations of Hidan's body, so he tried to test if he could survive without air. A bubble filled with water flew at Hidan. He cut the first bubble and the second, but the third landed on Hidan's head. He quickly tried to get the bubble out of his head, clawing at it. It did seem that Hidan needed to breathe, or was it simply an instinct?
"Stop playing around, Hidan," Doto said, not concerned but frustrated. "I can hear them coming. Finish this punk, and then bring my niece to me."
"So, demanding," Hidan popped the bubble with his physical strength. "Lord Jashin won't be pleased if I rush things."
With incredible speed, Hidan launched his scythe at Utakata. Utakata jumped over the scythe and rushed at Hidan; it seemed his only choice at victory was to take Hidan's head off. That way, he should lose control of his body. Hidan expected Utakata's reaction, so he pulled the scythe back, trying to get Utakata from behind.
Utakata didn't fall for it and backflipped over the scythe. Hidan finally got serious, as his attacks didn't connect with Utakata's body. Catching his scythe, Hidan swung it at rapidly approaching Utakata from above. Utakata turned his body and let the scythe pass him before stepping on it to push himself further towards Hidan.
With all his strength, Utakata punched Hidan in the stomach. Even if Utakata knew it wouldn't cause too much damage to Hidan, he expected him to be pushed back so Utakata could continue attacking. But that didn't happen. Hidan took the punch and didn't move a step back. Instead, Hidan caught Utakata's hand as he tried to pull back.
"There is nowhere for you to run now, little shit," Hidan seemed satisfied with himself. "Well, what are you going to do now?"
Hidan pulled his scythe from the ground and was about to stab Utakata with all three blades. Even though he was surprised by the durability and strength of Hidan's body, Utakata wasn't caught off guard. The moment the scythe was about to stab him, Utakata caught the blade with his hand. He used chakra to coat his hand so the blade wouldn't cut him.
Hidan struggled to move his weapon while Utakata had hold of it. They both were similar in physical prowess. But Utakata's chakra control far surpassed that of Hidan's. So, Utakata got an advantage the moment he started using his chakra to supplement himself with more strength. Low kicking Hidan's leg, Utakata made him lose his balance and used that moment to pull his hand back and even take the scythe out of Hidan's hands before jumping back.
"Who are you?" Hidan asked, as he now understood that Utakata wasn't a simple shinobi.
Utakata didn't answer and swung Hidan's scythe back at him. Hidan took out a retractable spear from his jacked and blocked the scythe. Utakata wasn't too disturbed by it, as he caught the cable attached to the scythe and used it to tie one of Hidan's arms. Then he pulled the cable as Hidan jumped back, making Hidan fly through the room and crash into the wall.
Before Hidan could recover, Utakata threw the scythe at him, stabbing him through the chest and embedding him into the wall. For assurance, Utakata ran up to him and kicked the back of the scythe to let the blades dig deeper into Hidan and the wall. Then, with the cable, he tied Hidan's hands to his head so he wouldn't be able to use them.
"You! You know about me!" Hidan realized that the only reason Utakata would go to such lengths was because he knew of Hidan's immortality. "Who are you? Answer me!"
Utakata punched Hidan's mouth, breaking his jaw so he would shut up. Hidan had too much confidence and too little skill. His only method of defeating stronger opponents was by surprising them and catching them off guard. To Utakata, who knew about Hidan's abilities, it wasn't a challenge to defeat him.
"How much did that girl promise you to pay?" Doto asked as Utakata turned back to him. "I can promise to pay five times more."
"I don't want your bloody money," Utakata replied just in time for the mob and Princess Koyuki barging into the room. "And you shall pay, but not to me. You shall pay for what you have done to this country."
"Doto Kazahana, I have come to take my rightful place as the Daimyo of the Land of Frost," Koyuki's voice was hoarse, but she still spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"Tch, useless," Doto looked at the guards that had joined Koyuki instead of continuing guarding Doto. "Everyone is useless. It seems I have to do it myself."
Utakata was just barely fast enough to intercept Doto as he was about to hit Koyuki. Instead, Utakata took the hit himself, was thrown through the room, and crashed into the mob. As Utakata looked at the people who softened his landing to see if any were critically hit, Doto removed his robes, revealing a suit of black armor on his body.
"Like father, like daughter," Doto said as he stared at Koyuki. "You don't understand where power resides. I let you live once, and now you come back to die. Did you really think you could have accomplished anything on your own? Look at the people behind you. If not for that shinobi you found somewhere, would these people follow you? Even now, they look afraid. Because they are nothing but cowards who would fold under little pressure."
Utakata couldn't understand what he was sensing from Doto. That armor consumed Doto's chakra, and that is why he couldn't sense it. But now, when it was unleashed, it seemed to strengthen Doto. It was artificial; at least, that's how Utakata felt about the chakra in the suit. Still, it gave quite a big boost to Doto's ability to move so fast and punch hard.
"They have all the right to be afraid," Koyuki replied, not backing away from Doto. "But don't confuse their fear for themselves. No, they are afraid for their families and friends. Something that you could never do, as you never cared about anything but yourself."
"What does caring have to do with anything?" Doto genuinely looked confused about it. "Your father cared, and so he was killed. Why would I make the same mistake as him? And now you will die too, not learning anything."
"No, she won't," Utakata replied as he blew a bubble at Doto; it exploded, sending Doto back, but it didn't seem like he received much damage from it.
"Do you like it, shinobi?" Doto flexed his armor. "It is only a prototype, but his armor gives me more strength than all your training ever could. It is your last time to join me and I promise to get you one of these suits too. This is power. This is the future."
"Maybe," Utakata replied as he walked in front of Koyuki. "But it isn't my future."
"So, be it," Doto's hand signs were clumsy.
Clearly, he only learned the basics and left his suit to the rest. The ice from outside the windows started to react as Doto's chakra reached them. Breaking through the glass, spikes of ice flew directly at Koyuki. Utakata used his pipe to block the spikes and protect Koyuki from danger. A few of the spikes missed and passed by them.
"It is my turn now," Utakata replied and blew a barrage of bubbles at Doto. As proud as Doto was of his suit, it could never replace years of training and experience. Anyone who was trained to be a shinobi would have dodged the bubbles. But Doto received them directly, and as they exploded at Doto's face, the armor started to crack and break.
"Ugh!" Doto cried out as the last piece of his suit broke, and he collapsed to his knees.
"And it seems it isn't your future either," Utakata walked up to Doto and picked him up. "You pay for what you have done to these people. But it won't be my decision. It will be theirs."
"Haha," Doto spat at Utakata's face as he laughed. "You are nothing but a murderer for a hire. Don't dare to tell me what I will do. And now you won't get your payment."
When Utakata felt it, it was already too late. All he had time to do was turn his head and watch as the three blades of the scythe pierced Koyuki's stomach. The ice spike that Utakata thought had missed them was aimed at Hidan. It freed him and enabled him to throw his scythe at Koyuki.
As much as Utakata tried to stay calm and analyze the situation, he couldn't control himself anymore. Blood-red chakra coated him, and Utakata let the rage take control of his body. Surrendering to the cycle once more.
A.N. It came time for this story, too. I will post the rest of the chapters over the week and then see how often I can update them. Some of you probably wait until I have at least a few chapters to read them all at once, so I wanted to say thank you for reading and supporting my writing and see you when I see you.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone