Going Back in Time #1: Nanjirou Jinsuke [Plot Solo]

[Xiangtian Xiao]

ITSUKE​

When Yoru, Itsuke's samurai spirit, first suggested the idea of going back in time, Itsuke could not help but laugh. Time traveling? Ridiculous, he thought, where people entertain the possibility of living in the ancient times. Even so, he himself once wished he could live in the times of his ancestors, testing himself against many different swords and opponent to grow stronger through it all. Live by the sword, and the sword will eventually kill you. What a fine way to live, he thought. Still... even after laughing at Yoru's face, seriousness remained on his samurai spirit's face. Yoru was serious.

But it is not as if you physically travel back. By opening your Wrath Seal and then selecting an ancestor who will respond to you... you can live through their memories as a spectator, if you will or even as some sort of alternative reality in order to experience certain things... many of your blood use it for training purposes...

Itsuke felt there was no harm in trying... the opportunity to experience the lifetimes of his ancestors was a very exciting prospect for him. His ancestors were swordmasters, men who gained their expertise in the blade through battle. A high death rate in the ancient times led to a high birth rate. As much, many of the Nanjirou had a large families to continue their line... though a few unfortunate placed their fate in the wrong hands and got eradicated. The Fuji were not one of those unfortunate, fortunately. So with that many people in his family line, Itsuke was not sure who to start with...

Try Nanjirou Jinsuke, one of the greatest swordsman to have lived in his lifetime to be peerless. His Gekirin was wondrous... maybe you'll find its resting place?"

What do you mean? Itsuke asked.

Near the end of his life, Gekirin, his blade, was somehow lost. A shame too and one of a kind. It was a type of ancient weapon, a Swordspear. Primarily a sword, it could also extend its handle and become a spear. No one knows the secret to re-creating such a weapon as they say the knowing died with Jinsuke. For some reason, he did not place the knowledge of its crafting into his children's Wrath Seal. Many tried to find it and many failed, eventually many gave up saying Jinsuke likely destroyed it.

Anyway, begin by mediating, open the Seal and contact him. He'll find you.

Itsuke made his way to the Isle of Man, finding the location fascinating and perhaps spiritual. He rented a house and made the promise of death upon any disturbance as he sat indian-style. He activated his Wrath Seal and then quickly located the memories that were Nanjirou Jinsuke. Itsuke was now in for an adventure of a "lifetime" as his essence was shifted into another man's being, becoming that man and readying to live his life with another set of eyes.

Note: To clarify, he is not time traveling but living through the memories of an ancestor, thanks to his Nanjirou bloodline. Both perspectives will be made clear with the use of glowing names. Purple for Itsuke, navy blue for Jinsuke.

 

[Xiangtian Xiao]

ITSUKE​

"Time waits for no man..."

~2,000 Years Ago~​

A bright light had robbed Itsuke's vision until it cleared up and he looked around to find himself in a transparent white room-like area surrounded by spirits. He realized he was in what is considered the spirit realm. You could say it is extremely difficult to access such a realm like this and it was possible for the Nanjirou to do so through their Wrath Seal which acted like a key of sorts, thanks to whatever gods that blessed the clan. A robust old man approached him, smiled and everything went black before Itsuke could form any question.

The next thing he knew, he could hear laughter and the chattering of people. Rubbing his eyes then taking another good look, he realized he was nowhere near the Isle of Man or Iwagakure for that matter. The lay of the land was completely different. Everything seemed... ancient. This was a town, a small, but lively one. The houses were much unlike the ones he knew in Earth Country, built with wood, stone and hay. Few times he had missions that took him out of Iwagakure into rural areas, this is what this hamlet reminded him of. Neither big or small, just... an ancient feeling. And to his surprise, he could hear and smell everything as if he was alive! Yet it seemed as if no one could see him. He wondered if these sensations were a result of Nanjirou Jinsuke's memories. Most likely, he thought. Still, it was bizarre. Itsuke walked around, seeing how people operated in the ancient times. He took in the sight and was astonished, unable to believe his luck. The clothing and the mannerism of the people completely differed from those of his own time. The language also seemed different, though Itsuke could not recognize it, he understood it perfectly. Another perk of his ancestor's memories, too. And hey, the women weren't bad neither. Unforunately, the smell was a bit.. well, awful, but after a while, he was starting to get used to it. He could even go through walls which were freakin' awesome. Despite a few mistakes barging into some people's... 'private times', there were other fascinating things. He went in what he thought was a pub or bar or whatever that sold men sake and food and observed them for, what felt like, two or so hours. The type of people that came in! Samurai, ronin, swordmasters and some self-important people! Itsuke even saw a duel go on between a vagrant and a drunk local. The vagrant cut him down, took whatever the drunk had and quickly left. Just like that? He half-expected the ANBU to charge in and arrest the vagrant. If this was Jinsuke's time, then memory would say this is about two or so thousand year ago. Shinobi would not have been around... much. Then again, Itsuke was not sure where he was. Still, the whole thing made his blood boil! How curious it must've been to test one's skill against another in such a fashion he had just witnessed. Fascinating indeed.

But he left anyway otherwise he would have stayed for hours upon hours and not even half-way done exploring. It was a tug... a feeling that told him to move on, that its been fun but time to get right to business. He eventually found himself by a small shack, some distance away from the town. Voices were heard, possibly two people in there...

"Come now, sensei! You promised!"

"Hm... you are becoming a man, so I suppose why not... perhaps this may give you incentive to settle down... rather than wander Nanjou for fame and glory as I once did. You are my only grandson, Eiji..."

"Grandfather...?"

Itsuke stared at the old man who was kneeling opposite a young man around fifteen or sixteen. He knew then that this was Nanjirou Jinsuke, perhaps at the near end of his life. The younger one... Itsuke thought he could see a bit of his father and brother in the boy's features. The older and younger both had the telltale eye trait of the Fuji clan, purple-colored. So these two were his ancestors... how odd to be standing before them...

"One question only. You better ask it right, Eiji, or you'll never get another chance,"

The boy of fifteen looked like he had a question he wanted to ask for a long time. "They say... you and your brother... were the best and... unstoppable and.. and..."

"Are you asking if it was true?" To Itsuke, it seemed Jinsuke was looking for more context from the boy.

The boy nodded, gulping. Jinsuke was quiet and his eyes looked... cloudy, as if reminiscing. It looked as if, for a moment, that the old samurai was not going to answer.

The boy repeated his question, this time more firm. "Did you really kill your twin?"

"Yes," Jinsuke rubbed his eyes and heaved a weary sigh. "I killed him."

JINSUKE​

"Tallest in a thousand mountains, yet still another higher."

-to be continued-​