Chapter 41
In some ways, the situation in the city was better than Utakata had expected, but in others, it was worse. It was a complete lockdown. People could only leave their homes from dawn to dusk, and since the days in this country were already short, it didn't give much time for the citizens to be outside their homes.
Most had to work ten to twelve hours a day to support their families. But with the restrictions put on them, they could not do that. This showed how little the Daimyo cared or even knew about his citizens. It might seem like a mild regulation. But in the long term, it will kill the families because they will lack money to provide for their families.
In many ways, it was more like a prison. Soldiers patrolled every street and corner. In only a few days since the Daimyo's life was in danger, the whole city had changed. Koyuki didn't take it lightly, but she was relieved that at least the soldiers weren't breaking into people's houses while searching for her location. Daimyo probably thought that Koyuki would be running rather than staying.
"You sure about this?" Utakata asked one final time as he looked at Koyuki.
"Whatever we do, we can't let the innocent suffer," Koyuki said, relentless determination filling her eyes that surprised Utakata. "Bring me to the plaza, where it all started."
The morning sun was rising, and people prepared to leave their homes to go to work. Utakata could see most of them looking through the windows, waiting until they could leave. The soldiers yawed as they waited for their replacement. Utakata took Koyuki by her waist and jumped to the plaza. He didn't sense any shinobi, but there were dozens of soldiers with spears and swords around.
"Hey! Who are you?" A soldier quickly saw them as Utakata settled Koyuki down. "Stop it right here! Don't move!"
Spears were pointed at them. But Utakata stood between them and Princess Koyuki. He didn't move, but he had his pipe ready, it was the only weapon he had and needed. Koyuki made herself comfortable and took out her lute. The soldiers didn't know what to do, but seeing Utakata standing before them fearlessly staring them down, they couldn't find the courage to move forward.
As the sun finally illuminated the streets and people started to leave their homes, Koyuki started to play. At first, people stopped to look at the commotion with dozens of soldiers surrounding the plaza, but once they heard Koyuki play, they got closer to see. Those who were here that day when she and her friends tried to kill the Daimyo quickly recognized her.
"That enough!" A larger man came forward, armored from head to toe. "What are you waiting for? Arrest them!"
"Is that what you truly want, captain Higan," Princess Koyuki asked as she abruptly stopped playing her lute.
"I am sorry, but I have no choice," Higan seemed to be reluctant to do so, but he still walked towards them with the rest of the soldiers. "Princess Koyuki, you are under arrest for the attempted assassination of Lord Doto Kazahana."
Now, even those who didn't know what was happening quickly realized who was playing the lute. Higan was the first to step in trying to go through Utakata, as other soldiers hesitated. And he was the first to fall, as Utakata slammed his hand into his throat and then pushed him to the ground. Utakata didn't say a word as he took the spear from Higan's hands and broke off the bladed part.
Koyuki continued to play as more and more people gathered. Realizing that they had no other choice, the soldiers moved in. But against Utakata, they had no chance. Utakata quickly disarmed and knocked down every soldier who tried to get to Koyuki. Koyuki didn't stop playing, and soon, people started to cheer her on.
Soon enough, dozens of soldiers were laid down before Utakata. But another dozen was soon to come, and then another dozen and so on. The city didn't lack soldiers. They kept coming, and Utakata kept knocking them down. With his strength, these soldiers were nothing but children to Utakata. It was a good thing that he learned how to control his strength while training with Tsunade perfectly; otherwise, he might have broken a few bones too much.
"Stand down!" Utakata expected Hidan to come out first, but it seemed that the Daimyo didn't want to let go of his most capable pawn.
"Princess," Higan said as he slowly got up. "Run. Leave this country while you can. This isn't a place for you."
"Hmph, as expected, there were traitors," The woman of the trio pushed Higan away. "We will deal with you later. First, we have to finish this brat, who doesn't know his place."
"It is the last chance for you to run," One of the men said as the trio surrounded Utakata. "Fubuki, Mizore, you two take the Princess and try not to harm her too much."
Utakata looked back at Koyuki, who hadn't stopped playing her lute. And while she was playing, the people didn't disperse. Like they were charmed by the melody, they watched the show before their eyes. There was no fear in their eyes, even when shinobi and soldiers were all around. No, they stood proud and looked at Princess Koyuki.
"Nadare, leave some of him to us too," The last one of the trio said as he tried to move past Utakata.
They were too cocky and arrogant. They chakra was only of those of high chunin at best. Utakata could tell that they were frogs in the well, thinking that they already had seen the world. Mizore, the one who moved first and tried to capture Koyuki, was met with a stick to his head. The guy was too slow to realize he was hit and knocked back.
With a blank face, Utakata looked at the rest of the trio. Koyuki still played behind Utakata, but this time, they took him seriously. The trio, confident in their abilities, exchanged glances before making their move. Mizore quickly got on his feet, too, wiping his bloody nose. Utakata couldn't move from his position, as he knew that if they were given the opportunity, they would go after the Princess.
"Our orders were only to bring Princess alive," Nadare seemed to be the leader of the group. "Use everything you got to kill him first."
As Nadare issued his command, the trio launched a coordinated assault, their movements fluid and precise. Utakata remained steadfast, his senses sharp as he anticipated their every move. Even if they tried to get Utakata from the sides, they were unsuccessful, as he could sense their movements. With the shaft of the broken spear, Utakata easily blocked and fought back the trio.
Koyuki transitioned to another song as Utakata continued to defend her. Seeing that they were too slow and weak to win in taijutsu, they turned their attack into ninjutsu. Fubuki gathered ice around them and turned them into needles before firing them at Utakata. With a swirl of the shaft of the spear, Utakata caught all the needles but broke his weapon.
The Ice around Utakata started to move once again. This time, Nadare created ice wolves and sent them to Utakata. He caught one ice wolf with his hands and kicked the other away. As Utakata's hands were full for a moment, Mizore rushed at him, bashing Utakata with his shoulder. Yet Utakata didn't even take a step back.
"Using water and wind, you can manipulate ice," Utakata said, and for a moment, Koyuki stopped playing her lute. "It is an impressive technique but mostly useless, especially in places where there is little ice for you to manipulate."
"Who the hell are you?" Mizore asked as fear filled his eyes.
Utakata broke the ice wolf in his hands before grabbing Mizore's neck. With his strength, Utakata could easily break his neck. But instead, he headbutted him, knocking him down. The other two tried to move in to save their comrade, but Utakata blew two bubbles from his pipe. The bubbles encased their heads, and they tried to remove them as the air was running out for them.
"You thought that you were whales in the sea, but you are nothing but frogs in the well," Utakata said as he kicked them down in the head, bursting the bubbles and knocking them out. He didn't want to kill them.
"He defeated them," It wasn't only the citizens who looked shocked at the three lying bodies; even the soldiers couldn't believe it.
"My name is Koyuki Kazahana!" Utakata could tell that it hurt for Koyuki to speak so loudly. "I come back to take what is rightfully mine. But first, I wanted to ask the good people of the Land of Frost to forgive me for leaving them when they needed me the most. I will accept your hate, but I promise no matter how much you despise me, I will not let you suffer any longer."
"Princess Koyuki?" People murmured around themselves as reality finally settled in their heads. "The princess is back!"
Utakata was wrong. These people had never given up. They were only waiting. They were waiting for Koyuki's return. Seeing their oppressors defeated, they all knelt before Koyuki. Their eyes were filled with love. It took a moment for Koyuki to snap out of her stupor as she looked at her people. Tears swelled in her eyes as she looked around.
"The good people of the Land of Frost," Utakata said instead of Koyuki, as he knew she would have difficulty speaking now. "The tyranny of Daimyo Doto will end today. Pick up the weapons, rise with Princess Koyuki, and fight for your homeland."
Before the rest of the soldiers could do anything, Utakata blew his bubbles at their heads, suffocating them to sleep. But Utakata didn't need to continue it, as most of them dropped their weapons and surrendered. The people quickly went to tie them up and pick up their weapons. Barely anyone even knew how to hold the weapons, but it didn't matter.
They won't be fighting. For Koyuki to take her place, she had to convince the people to fight with her. That is why she made such a big show of it all. She wanted others to see her and show that the people who scared them previously weren't unbeatable monsters. When Utakata defeated them, he showed them that they were nothing special and it was time for them to fight for their rights.
"You can't, Princess!" Higan stood before Koyuki. "You can't defeat him."
"Alone, I can't," Koyuki replied calmly, standing before Higan. "But I am not alone. I have my country by my side."
"You don't understand," Higan said, rather than blocking our path. He knelt and bowed his head to Koyuki's feet. "Doto has a monster with him. That monster can't be defeated. He will kill you all. Please, I beg you, just run. As long as that monster is here, there is no hope for this country."
"Enough, Captain Higan. I forgive you, as all you did was your job and duty, but you failed to protect my father, and then you joined Doto. Why should I trust any word coming from you?"
"Back then, I was foolish," Higan said, not lifting his head. "I didn't know that Doto was so selfish and unreasonable person. And when I realized it was already too late. These three shinobi he brought with him were too powerful for us regular soldiers. But even these three couldn't compare to him. His name is Hidan, and he is immortal. I saw him getting stabbed and cut, but he just shrugged it off. He revels in killing, and if you go now, he will kill you."
"He won't," Utakata said as he saw people getting hesitant. "He might be a monster. But in this vast world, there isn't a scarier monster than me. I know who this Hidan is and trust me, he will fall like everyone else had."
"You just a doctor," Higan looked at Utakata. "What can you possibly know? I will not let the princess get harmed, no matter what I have to do. So please just take her and leave."
"Look into my eyes," Utakata said as he picked up Higan. "And tell me what you see."
Higan started shaking the longer he looked at Utakata's empty eyes. Then he backed away with shaking legs. He was old and experienced enough to know what those eyes of Utakata had witnessed for him to understand that someone like Hidan couldn't stop Utakata. Higan didn't stop them anymore and stepped away as people raised their weapons and marched for the palace.
A.N. I have some bad news. I will be gone from May 6. I have been selected to do mandatory military training for nine months. I will post as usual until the end of April and then post the rest of the chapters I have on my pa treon before I am gone. I don't know how much free time I will have in the military, but from what I hear, I should have weekends off, even if not all of them. So, I will try to write as much as I can on weekends and holidays. Thought I would probably have to drop most of my stories until I finished my training. I want to focus on ending "What is dead may never die" and continue "Will of embers." Thanks for reading and support.
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.
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