- 「 C K R A : :x1,475 // 1,475 」 tab 「 S T M : :x2,175 // 2,175 」 tab 「 X P : :x5855 」 tab 「 両 : :x6,300 」
tab 「 Arashigakure 」 tab 「 S-rank Former Jounin 」 tab 「 Raiu 」 tab 「 Buki / Buki 」 tab 「 Theme: Tanada 」
- The main hall of the Iron Castle was silent, save for the idle chatter coming from those standing guard. All of the servants, staff, and nobility were outside in the main courtyard, preparing to hear what their Shogun had to say. Though, what awaited was obvious to anyone except the most naive. Except for those blinded by hope. War was on the horizon, and the cold eyes that once looked past it in favor of peace now failed to avert his gaze. Nobody wanted war with the Shinobi, but the clans were loyal to their shogun. A coup de tat was inevitable, but even in the unlikely chance that insurgents took down Seizo, there was no guarantee that the people would listen. The Shogun would either lead his people to a bloody defeat or die a martyr. Both, ultimately, would destroy the storied traditions that Seizo Raiu claimed to hold so dear.
Righteousness. Loyalty. Tradition. War. Warm blood on cold steel. The final cry of the great clans as the Shinobi finally stormed their beaches.
There had to be another way.
The silent *fwip* *fwip* *fwip* of wires forming near the ceiling went unnoticed by those below, and a hooded figure ran across the thing platforms above. Nuibari in hand, Musunde traveled through his old home along the wires gifted to him by Kenshin Kosei. Making his way through, some words from the proud sentinel found themselves lodged in his mind. "Don't assume where walking the honorable path you're on may take you, Musunde. Conducting yourself nobly with consistency may lead you to your rightful place. But if it doesn't, then you can be assured in knowing that you were worthy of it."" Those words were what led him to the savage lands that made up the mountains around Kumogakure, where he found the blade lost there long ago. The one he received from his father. Once he held it in his hands again, the lost samurai felt like he received all the answers he ever needed. For his children, for his village, and himself, Musunde had to confront his past. If he didn't, he'd never be able to move forward without regrets. He'd never stop worrying about the security of Tengai and Tenko and whether or not they'd be hunted one day.
He ignored the problem for long enough. It was time to cast aside the aloof visage and accept that he cared about his honor. Making his way towards the top of the first staircase from his position, Musunde shot up like a rocket, going from floor to floor in the blink of an eye. An inky black feeling washed over him the closer he got, the one that perpetuated his fear, but he continued to shake it off. It grabbed for his legs, his lungs, his arms, trying to get him to stop. It was like being battered with the force of a blizzard while trying to reach a mountain's summit. Or like the ocean itself trying to keep him below the surface while his fingers were just about to pass the water. Trauma. Fear. Anxiety. Looking away from the problem was the only way to silence it, but destiny kept putting him right back on the path whether he liked it or not.
I know I don't have any idea what to say to him. I know Toso may never forgive me for acting on my own and that I'm acting like a child. But this is my fight, and maybe none of this bloodshed would have come to pass if I faced it earlier. I don't even know if I can change anything, but this feeling... won't let me turn away anymore.
Once he made his way to the top floor of the castle, Musunde shot forwards through the first set of doors and then covered the next room in wires, catching the guards in there by surprise. "Don't move, and don't yell. If you do, the wires holding you can damage you. I'm just here to speak to my father." He stated, keeping one hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade while the other held the near-invisible Nuibari to keep the room under his control. He walked through slowly, keeping his focus on the samurai around him without looking at them directly. That was until one spoke his name.
Snapping his gaze over, he noticed a head of brown hair assaulted by a slowly-creeping gray above hardened jade eyes. He was Musunde's long-time mentor, the one who had been assisting him even after he ran away. Ooranu. He didn't need to say a word for the younger samurai to catch what he was trying to get across. "Are you sure about this?" That look weighed on his heart, and he felt that inky black sensation start to take over his body again. It was okay to come that close, right? He could try again in another year, or maybe leave a message that he was there. It was farther than he'd ever come, but wasn't that enough?
No.
"I'm not going to let my home suffer. If I can do something about this war and choose not to, I'll be letting my kids grow up in that kind of world. Even if he doesn't listen to a word I say, I'll give my everything to this." Silent voices and questions came after that from multiple guards in the room as recognition overcome them all. That small kid who always wanted to train with them had finally grown up. Placing his hand against the final door that separated him from his past, another memory struck him.
" "Strong am I? I appreciate the compliment bloop. However, make no mistake, what strength I have now has come from my desire to see to it that no individual whom finds themselves with a desire to live amidst Arashigakure need not suffer from the pains of a war-torn world bloop. I will carry the burdens of my people until this back of mine breaks bloop and by swearing yourself to it that goes for you as well bloop."
Musunde pushed against the door, the simple obstacle feeling like a giant slab of metal that he was trying to force his hand through. His breathing picked up rapidly, but he stopped himself before it got to full-blown hyperventilation. It took every ounce of power he had, every fond memory, and horrible regret before he heard the metal start creaking in his mind. Felt it move beneath his palm. It was the thought of his children that ended up making the steel wall move like it weighed nothing, and before he knew it he was standing in the throne room, staring at the back of his father and the roaring crowd. It was time.
(64 sentences. S+ rank increase. Lasting Memory.)