500 Kilometers East of Raiden no Me, Undisclosed Location
The Spine of the World, Eastern Kaminari no Kuni
…0300 hours
The young man, now seventeen, and in the full flower of his youth, twisted in his bed uncomfortably. It wasn’t that his arms ached from the last battle he had been involved in, or that Mitsuru’s cooking earlier that night had been objectionable, or that Yukiko’s death sometimes still haunted him in silent moments. It was that he had received a letter that he had no idea how to respond to. It wasn’t something he could ignore, either. No, it had been sent by the very man who had inspired him to take up arms in the first place, to make a difference. But that man was now… Haikuno angrily wiped at his eyes, finding unwelcome moistness on the back of his hand …that man was now his enemy.
Kichida Kazuhiko. A Cloud shinobi, and when they had last met, a dear friend who he owed his life to. He still carried the wakizashi that Kazuhiko had given him, as well. He had used that sword to exact the people’s vengeance on the corrupt. The nobles, merchants, and military brass who had grown fat off of the misery of the common people treated no better than sheep and given less regard. His Commander, Enishi – the man was a prophet. A brilliant leader and the most compassionate individual who Haikuno had ever encountered. He would follow Enishi to the ends of the earth, he had sworn, and still believed to this day. Cloud shinobi, on the other hand, they were the enemy now. They only served whoever paid them, and that was the corrupt Bakufuu of Lightning Country, who only cared for themselves! He had seen shinobi fight to defend demons like Count Dee! He had seen them kill poor, sweet Yukiko whose only mistake had been to show a moment’s mercy to a genin named Nemoto Senna!
“Enishi-sama!” said Haikuno, immediately rising to his feet and bowing. Enishi nodded back.
“It’s okay. Sit,” said the missing-nin, pointing toward the empty chair. “Is it bothering you that much? The communication from Kichida-san of Cloud?” asked Enishi, steepling his fingers.
“Yes, it is,” said Haikuno miserably. “I haven’t responded to it, sir,” he said.
“It’s okay if you do, you know. I trust you not to reveal our location in such a blockheaded manner. You’re not a dense shounen main character,” said Enishi, smiling.
“I know, sir. I wouldn’t do something like that. But…I don’t know if I can trust Kazuhiko-san. When I met him, he was a genin, and we were all best friends. But he’s a Cloud Chuunin now. He’s…part of the machine. Part of the same machine that killed Yukiko-san. I want to trust him. I want to believe he’s simply trying to see if I’m okay. But I know that he knows what I am. He’s already sent Kaguya-kun after me. I can tell these things. He’s splitting us up!” protested Haikuno.
“Most likely, he is under orders to do so,” said Enishi, nodding. “His Sennin is Takaki-san. When that man was in the ANBU, his callsign was ‘Mordgeld’. It means ‘Blood Money’ in a foreign language that was favored by Santaru Ryuuto. He was, and still is, a man who will do anything to accomplish his goals. And that includes manipulating friends to work against each other.”
“But didn’t you get Sennin Takaki sent off to Naraka Prison?” asked Haikuno, wide-eyed.
“I helped. But you can’t stop his influence that easily. He inspires fanatic loyalty among his subordinates because he actually posts in threads, you know,” said Enishi, briefly breaking the fourth wall. “And yes, Kichida-san is definitely working at cross-purposes. So is your friend, Kaguya-san. In fact, he was recently promoted to full-time field agent of the BSA. Unfortunately, that is what happens in this society.”
“So I should definitely forget about Kazuhiko, then. I’ll destroy the letter immediately,” said Haikuno, gritting his teeth.
“I never said that,” said Enishi, pointedly. “Rather, what I am saying is that it is important to have friends, and to treat them well, and to let them know that even across the artificial boundaries of friend and foe, that you care for them. Because in the end, no matter how many people we kill, it is the love of the people that ultimately inspires change, and sustains hope.”
“What are you saying, sir? That I should risk Cloud gaining the upper hand on us just for my own selfishness?” asked Kazuhiko, dumfoundedly.
“Try not to get us killed, is all. In the end, you have to do what is right for you,” said Enishi.
“I don’t know that that is!” said Haikuno, only to realize that he had spoken the last phrase to thin air. “…He really should stop doing that,” grumbled the boy.
A few days later, a message arrived at the Gates.
[Tama, if you would start up the appropriate topic in the OV area and leave with your iNPC]
