Chapitre 19: Chapter 19 A Reason To Kill.

Later that night, Riku did his weekly visit to Mr. Daichi.

However, right as he landed Riku's nose twitched, his eyes widened and Kokuenryū warned.

*Riku, I can sense many murderous aura within that hut…* Kokuenryū spoke in a low tone.

Riku's heart was in this throat, his eyes shaking violently and his arm reaching out.

His legs began shaking as he walked slowly to Mr. Daichi's hut.

Kicking open the door, Riku looked at multiple Kirigakure anbu surrounding a bloodied and battered elderly man on the floor holding a sword.

The two tomoe in Riku's eyes began to spin violently as he snarled like a wild beast before lunging forwards to protect the man.

When Riku arrived at the man, his two wings created a spherical dome to protect him and the man from the shinobi outside.

The elderly man looked up at Riku, his pale blue eyes shimmered one last time as he held Riku's small hand.

"Ah… little Riku?" Mr. Daichi smiled softly despite being beaten so badly.

"Mr… Daichi?" Riku's eyes began to shake violently.

"Little Riku, please run away, this doesn't concern you." Mr. Daichi begged Riku to leave, "You have a whole life ahead of you, little Riku, but I'm just an old man. It was going to happen sooner or later." Mr. Daichi tried to laugh but his laugh was cut short by a painful cough of blood.

"Please stay with me, just give me time! I can help you, please Grandpa please just stay with me!" Riku cried, his feelings overflowing and he couldn't hold himself back from expressing how he truly felt about Mr. Daichi, he was the Grandfatherly figure he had missed so dearly and he couldn't bear to watch him fade away.

"Ha! I'm glad you see me that way, Little Riku. I was never able to have a family, so hearing that makes me really happy." Mr. Daichi's light was slowly fading away as he held Riku's small hand.

"Little Riku, please, take this sword. I made it with those scales you gave me, it is truly my life's greatest work…" Mr. Daichi grinned once more, the blood flowing from his mouth as he pushed the bloodied sword-in-sheath against Riku's chest.

"I can't accept this, Grandpa, please just live! I don't care about the sword, I just want you to live!" Riku's tears began to pour, his hiccups and cries were of genuine sorrow.

"Please, Riku, take it. My life was so rough, but the past few months have been the greatest I've ever had. You showed me a light that will never dwindle even in the harshest of environments. And for that, I thank you." Daichi grinned one last time as he placed his bloodied hand on Riku's cheek, his blood red hand print covering the dragon kanji on Riku's cheek.

Riku's cried and begged as he watched the last bit of light fade from Mr. Daichi's eyes.

Riku forcefully gathered his bearings, he shut Mr. Daichi's eyes, his face still glowing with his signature grin even in death.

Mr. Daichi had such a tough life, and even when it got better it was ripped from his grasp.

As the tears flowed violently from Riku's eyes, his two tomoe spinning rapidly, seemingly fusing together.

He looked at the sword in his hands, it was a Ninjato similar to the weapons he made Fū, just larger, almost like a Nodachi but one handed? Like a long katana but straight I guess.

This weapon… Riku's teary eyes widened at the sight of the familiar weapon.

This sword, was almost identical to the one he had treasured in his life as Ren Arden.

Unsheathing the blade, the first thing that caught his eye was the collar which was silver in colour with a dragon engraved into it.

Next to this, on the actual blade was "無敵" engraved, meaning "invincible" or "undefeated."

This made Riku giggle, but the tears kept running down his face despite this.

The weapon was beautiful to say the least, the kashira was black in colour, the hilt was black and white and the menuki was seemingly a dragon.

As for the cross-guard, it was black too thanks to the fusion of his scales and clearly meant to represent a dragon which Riku also tried to smile at, his tears falling and being sliced on the blade.

The blade itself was a beautiful black colour, it seems that Riku's scales had bonded extremely well this time? Mr. Daiki certainly was an expert.

However, thinking of this didn't bring a smile to Riku's face.

Instead, his tears flowed even more violently, his eyes shaking wildly and the two tomoe turned to three, then to four and kept spinning.

Sheathing the sword back into the beautiful black and white sheath decorated with a black and white dragon, Riku's wings stretched outwards, repelling every shinobi back wards with a large gust of wind.

"Why… Why would you attack an innocent man?" Riku's face looked like that of a doll, his eyes were emotionless yet a hatred burned deep within.

"Haa… what a pain." The tallest Anbu spoke, he had really long green hair that went down to his waist, he wore the traditional Kiri Anbu uniform with a white mask with thin, short curved eye-holes, a mischievous smile and two red wave design on the top and bottom on the right side, as well as the Kirigakure symbol on the forehead.

As the tall Anbu sighed, he grabbed the familiar two Taiji swords from his waist but then-

A sudden force sliced his anbu mask into two?

Riku had sent a slash projection at the anbu's mask. He recognised those swords and he wanted to see if his speculation was correct.

And it was, behind the mask was Raiga Kurosuki, one of the seven ninja swordsmen of the mist and the wielder of the kiba blades.

Undeterred, "You think you can avenge the old man, 'white wraith'?" Raiga sneered, a smile playing on his lips, he assumed the child before him was the so called 'White wraith'. "You are just a boy, and you have no idea what you are up against. I'll give you a chance to turn yourself in now, or I'll bring you in dead."

'White wraith? What the hell is that?' Riku's eyes shook, his heart a boulder in his chest. "You killed Mr. Daichi," he spat, his voice low and deadly. "For that I will make you suffer." The four tomoe in his eye began to spin, creating a beautiful rotating circle in his irises.

Not wasting any time, in one swift movement, Raiga leaped forward, his lightning enhanced Kiba blades cutting through the air with deadly precision. Riku hardly had time to react in a sideward dodge as Raiga's blades whistled past him. The ground buckled beneath them as Riku called upon Kokuenryū's chakra, which pulsed wickedly around him.

"Is that all you've got?" Raiga mocked, the glint in his eyes full of amusement. "You think your anger can save you?"

Riku balled his fists, the familiar tide of Kokuenryū's power welling within him. "I don't need to be saved. I just need to make you pay."

With a roar, Riku created a wave of black and white fire that fluttered around him like a hurricane of monochromatic butterflies. Raiga was taken aback for one second by that but regained his composure instantly and responded with a rush of swift and successive strikes, his Kiba blades dancing like bolts of lightning in the stock of evening.

But in the next second, when Raiga thought he had the upper hand against him, suddenly a crackle of white electricity surged through the air. Raiga's eyes suddenly widened, and he watched as Riku let loose a number of strange white lightning spears, arcs of electricity flew at Raiga with blinding speed. Raiga barely dodged, the lightning charring the ground where he had stood a moment prior and even grazed his arm.

"You think you can beat me with your pretty lightning?" Raiga sneered, his voice cracking and his facade of strength waning. "You're just a child playing with fire."

The anger surging through Riku's body quickened the rhythm of his heartbeat. "I hate when people don't shut the fuck up during a fight. Just fucking fight me you piece of shit!" Riku's anger surged as he lunged forwards.

The mention of Daichi's name changed Raiga's expression; a flicker of surprise crossed his features. "Ah, the old man. What a pity that he had to get involved in your foolishness. He seemed like a good man, but he should have known better than to ignore my inquiries."

Riku's anger welled over as he yelled in a frenzied fashion, "You took him from me! You'll pay for what you've done!" Thus, with a newfound determination, he exhaled a strong wave of mono-flames, the white spark chakra crackling furiously around his body, nearly creating the white spark chakra mode as he readied himself for his attack.

Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Riku yelled, launching a huge black and white fireball in the direction of Raiga. The latter merely smirked and dodged the attack with ease before responding with a flurry of quick strikes.

However, the large fireball exploded behind Raiga, to which several spears made of Riku's mono-flame were hurled at Raiga.

Thanks to this, raigas abdomen was pierced by a powerful flaming spear.

Just then, with a rustling that preceded footsteps, Riku heard someone behind him. And from the silhouettes emerged dark figures of the Hidden mist-the Anbu-surrounding him. Riku's heart fell as he realized he was outnumbered, but he quickly realised that these guys were actual nobodies, Riku had even gone toe to toe with the Hokage for a bit, so no point being scared over these losers.

Riku's heart was racing in thrill and anger, but he straightened himself up right away. He gathered a large sum of Kokuenryū's chakra and the monochromatic-flames around him erupted wildly, to preparations for his attack.

Ram-Horse-Snake-Dragon-Rat-Ox-Tiger

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!" Riku yelled as a torrent of small fireballs rained down toward Raiga and the Anbu. The figures dodged and weaved but the flames were relentless and they were forced to retreat.

"You're persistent, I'll give you that," Raiga growled, eyes narrowing as he assessed Riku's will. "But you're still outmatched."

In an instant, Raiga had his jutsu up and running, a wave of lightning energy charging towards Riku. The ground started to shudder with the impact of the two forces meeting-the explosion was huge, sending shockwaves throughout the forest.

Riku quickly got back up to his feet, the heat of the lightning was tough, but not as tough as being hit with a monoflame beam as Ren Arden! But as he finally did, there was Raiga, tall and proud, an evil grin spreading across his face as he was flanked by the Anbu.

"You really think you can win this fight? You're fighting for a lost cause, Kid. Your precious Mr. Daichi is gone, and there's nothing you can do to change that."

Riku let out another, feral roar and vomited fire in every direction around him; the black and white flames danced in fiery turmoil, in light-like protection. He sprang at Raiga, the determination burning bright in his eyes.

Riku unsheathed his new sword, The two of them clashed once more; their weapons fought each other with greater force, the deafening clash resounding through the forest.

In his heart, the battle weighed in heavy, and strength turned emotional. He fought not only for himself but for Mr. Daichi-the only man who had ever looked after him.

But the Anbu would not stop and further attacked from corners. Riku dodged lightning strikes and Kiba blade slashes, each one a constant reminder of the overwhelming odds laid before him.

"You're strong, but you can't fight us all!" one of the Anbu shouted as his voice cut through the chaos.

Riku's determination began to harden.

With a surge of energy, Riku released a great wave of mono-flames, pushing back the Anbu and Raiga. The roaring-to-be flames created a barrier that kept them at bay for the time being.

But Riku knew he couldn't keep them off him forever, and he had to think of a counterattack. He now concentrated, with fierce determination, on the memory of Mr. Daichi and of the strength of love and guidance he had given.

In that moment, Riku knew he would never back down. He would fight to his last breath and make Raiga and the Anbu pay for every ounce of pain they had dealt. Fire in his resolve burned stronger than ever; he was ready for whatever was next.

The forest had become a battleground of clashing, crackling, and the roar of flames as the fight ensued. Riku's heart was racing in his chest, each beat calling back memories: the warmth from Mr. Daichi's smile, the wisdom in his words, and the unyielding support he had given Riku through the past 5 months.

With every single blow against Raiga, Riku's loss burdened him, but that weight stirred a flame within. He could not let Daichi's death be in vain. He had to fight not just for himself, but for the legacy of the man who had believed in him.

Raiga, with a feral intuition into Riku's settled determination, lunged again in the most fierce and brutal manner. "You really think some anger can save you? You really are just a child playing with fire!" he jeered; his blades cut the air with deadly precision.

"Ahh." Riku let loose a scream of feral rage as he began to spew out waves of monochromatic flames, the black and white fire dancing around him in a stormy vortex. The flames roared towards Raiga, who retaliated with a strong lightning jutsu that crashed into the other force in a flash-bright explosion illuminating the night sky.

The shockwave sent Riku flying off his feet and sprawling to the ground. Dazed, he fought hard to regain his composure, but the mocking laughter of Raiga echoed in his ears. "Is that all you've got, Kid? You're stronger than I expected, but you're still no match for me!"

"Haa, I can't be arsed for this anymore." Riku's facade of weakness snapped, he had deliberately been avoiding using his sword, he just wanted to see how far he could go using mainly his flames, but this was seriously getting on his nerves now.

All of a sudden, Riku's whole air changed. The moment he positioned the sword at his hip his whole aura shifted from a feral beast, to a hunter locked onto his prey.

The air was thick with blood, and the clashing of metals rang in the atmosphere. His heart was racing, but he was no stranger to fear; it was that crazy urge for revenge. The death of Mr. Daichi had set a fire ablaze inside him, one crying out for revenge on these people who wronged him.

He stared at Raiga with cold, unforgiving eyes; his voice was low and menacing. "You think you can stand against me?" he snarled, grasping his sword tightly. "I'll enjoy watching you bleed."

Raiga smirked, an air of confidence oozing from his very being. "You're just a boy with a sword. You think you can take me down? You're delusional."

A sneer spread across Riku's face. "Delusional? No, I'm just getting started." All of a sudden, Riku's whole body was enveloped in a cloak of white sparks. Suddenly as a flash of speed as he leapt toward Raiga, "Arden Swordsmanship : Page 1, Crescent Arc." Riku muttered, his blade slicing in a deadly arc aimed at the torso of his enemy.

The two clashed, their swords ringing in a symphony of violence. Riku showed no hesitation, no remorse. Each strike was tugged by that primal urge-to destroy, to eradicate the very existence of those who made him feel pain.

"You're strong, but you're still weak before me!" Raiga taunted, trying parrying Riku's blows. "You fight with anger, but anger won't save you!"

Riku laughed then, a cold sound that sent shivers down the spines of those who could hear it, as the voice echoed through the forest. "Anger's enough for me! Nobody needs me to save them. I just want to see you struggle!" He swung fiercely, his hand at neck level toward Raiga, his eyes and face twisted upward in a wicked grin as he imagined the spilling blood.

Raiga barely dodged, but Riku would not let up. He continued to press the attack, his flurry of slashed more savage with each succession not even using the Arden swordsmanship anymore, using the pure primal instinct of a swordsman. "You think you can escape your fate? You're nothing but a target to me!" he growled, low and menacing.

Raiga's confidence began to slip as the ferocity of Riku became apparent. "You're insane!" he shouted, desperation creeping into his voice. "This isn't how a warrior fights!"

Riku snorted, clenching his eyes. "I'm no warrior. I'm just a boy, remember?" In a flash, he sprang into a blur of strikes, each aimed to hurt to the most. And he loved the bedlam, the rush of a hunt flushing through his veins.

"You're just a monster!" Raiga spat, trying to gather his feet again. But Riku wouldn't yield, his attention riveted on the kill.

"Exactly," Riku sneered; his voice was full of malice. "And I'm going to enjoy every moment of this." He leaped forward, pressing his sword onto Raiga's heart, a spiteful smile etched on his face as he readied himself to make the fatal blow.

Riku looked down at the sword drinking the blood of it's creators killer.

It hit, and Riku watched with a rise of satisfaction as Raiga's dead eyes stared off into space. He gloated over the power that he had with his fallen foe.

"You thought you could challenge me?" Riku whispered lowly to the lifeless body of Raiga. "You were wrong."

20 minutes of slaughter later.

Riku stepped back with a cold laugh to survey the battlefield. His enemies lay strewn across the forest floor, their blood spilled on the ground. There was no remorse, no guilt-only an insatiable hunger.

Riku suddenly came back to himself, it seems Kokuenryū being sealed inside of him was also having some of his bad personality. looking down at the blood soaked blade in his hand, Riku let out a sigh as he made his way over to the corpse of Mr. Daichi.

Digging a hole outside of his hut, Riku placed the corpse of Mr. Daichi inside, and filled the hole.

Riku didn't know what Mr. Daichi would've wanted, but this was the least he could do.

"May you rest in peace, Grandpa." Riku spoke softly as a tear fell down his face, "I will continue your legacy, I will never lose a fight again. Using the blade crafted by you, I will shake the world!" And thus, Riku with his sword he had named "Daichi" set off to change the shinobi world.