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The Legend of Kaji Okada, Book One
Chapter Sixteen: Crimson over White Ash
Chalky ash from a raging volcano littered the horizon of a sparse forest in the foothills. Uedama was a large mountain that rivaled Maruishi in size, topped with black smog and a red crust rolling of its peak. It was visible from the forest, yet over a mile away from Kaji Okada’s position. The lad was marching steadily and heading to the northwest where the wilds of the Earth Country were most inhospitable. It was practically a death march, but a necessity for a shinobi who needed to shake some pursuers. It was mid-day and the sun was masked by dense clouds of soot, resulting in a gray overcast.
Kaji was keeping up an exhausting pace, occasionally splitting his trail with shadow clones to create diversions. For days now, Kaji was aware that he was being followed, though he had yet to determine who was following him, or even their exact numbers. He figured they were biding their time, allowing him to keep his pace ahead of them and eventually tire himself out to make their attack easy. To be fair, it was a sign of respect, as they must have known his reputation, insisting that word of his exploits at the Jashin Temple must have spread quickly.
Foul winds roll the fastest, and so, the rumor mill was producing the story of a lone shinobi who brought a storm to the clerics of the Death God Jashin in a midnight raid. It was certainly the most killing Kaji had ever done, but he did not execute the task without his share of mistakes and clumsy battling. Even now, Kaji was marching with a hobble as he nursed damage to his sternum from the battle, and deep slashes across his chest, arms, and back from a foe’s visceral talons. Most of the so-called clerics were just the religious sort on the night of Kaji’s vengeful raid, though, in the case of Jashin’s twisted worshippers, Kaji would never feel remorse for cutting them down. Out of the fifteen souls he claims, only the acolyte— the same shinobi with the talons— proved to be an obstacle worth a cold murdering by Eelspine. And after all this time since that night, Kaji hadn’t gained any of the closure he hoped for from the deed. He spent an hour spilling blood and burning their banners, creating chaos unlike anything he ever thought himself to be capable of, and the end result was some sickening, empty feeling. He knew it wouldn’t bring Xinyue back— she was gone forever, but it didn’t feel like he accomplished anything by crushing the ones who led her so far astray.
-- w575
-- Topic Entered, Weekly Installments.
-- Solo Flashback Thread
-- The Legend of Kaji Okada Book One Timeline: Here
<FONTFACE fontface="georgia">A Letter for My Daughter said:“The worst part of the years to come was mourning the innocence lost in the meat grinder that was my youth. I may never understand why I survived instead of others with less sins to atone for, like Heizo. In the end, we were all victims, yet I was the one to make it out of there and it just never seemed fair. And as those years rolled on and my work with the blade became more lethal, the lives wasted by my hand only added to the tally with haste. Only by dedicating myself to the cause of bettering the world can I find peace and rightfully mourn that innocence destroyed in the years of my youth.”
-- Kaji Okada<i></i>
The Legend of Kaji Okada, Book One
Chapter Sixteen: Crimson over White Ash
Chalky ash from a raging volcano littered the horizon of a sparse forest in the foothills. Uedama was a large mountain that rivaled Maruishi in size, topped with black smog and a red crust rolling of its peak. It was visible from the forest, yet over a mile away from Kaji Okada’s position. The lad was marching steadily and heading to the northwest where the wilds of the Earth Country were most inhospitable. It was practically a death march, but a necessity for a shinobi who needed to shake some pursuers. It was mid-day and the sun was masked by dense clouds of soot, resulting in a gray overcast.
Kaji was keeping up an exhausting pace, occasionally splitting his trail with shadow clones to create diversions. For days now, Kaji was aware that he was being followed, though he had yet to determine who was following him, or even their exact numbers. He figured they were biding their time, allowing him to keep his pace ahead of them and eventually tire himself out to make their attack easy. To be fair, it was a sign of respect, as they must have known his reputation, insisting that word of his exploits at the Jashin Temple must have spread quickly.
Foul winds roll the fastest, and so, the rumor mill was producing the story of a lone shinobi who brought a storm to the clerics of the Death God Jashin in a midnight raid. It was certainly the most killing Kaji had ever done, but he did not execute the task without his share of mistakes and clumsy battling. Even now, Kaji was marching with a hobble as he nursed damage to his sternum from the battle, and deep slashes across his chest, arms, and back from a foe’s visceral talons. Most of the so-called clerics were just the religious sort on the night of Kaji’s vengeful raid, though, in the case of Jashin’s twisted worshippers, Kaji would never feel remorse for cutting them down. Out of the fifteen souls he claims, only the acolyte— the same shinobi with the talons— proved to be an obstacle worth a cold murdering by Eelspine. And after all this time since that night, Kaji hadn’t gained any of the closure he hoped for from the deed. He spent an hour spilling blood and burning their banners, creating chaos unlike anything he ever thought himself to be capable of, and the end result was some sickening, empty feeling. He knew it wouldn’t bring Xinyue back— she was gone forever, but it didn’t feel like he accomplished anything by crushing the ones who led her so far astray.
-- w575
-- Topic Entered, Weekly Installments.
-- Solo Flashback Thread
-- The Legend of Kaji Okada Book One Timeline: Here