Loud gunfire sounded from outside the palace. The uprising had begun. "That must be them," Keisuke grinned. "You and your men have nowhere to run..."
Daisuke's face turned pale.
"If you're wondering where we got the guns? We had one of our keisatsu within your organization–"
"You think you've won, huh?" said Daisuke, sweating. "You won't get away with this!"
"We've already won. And if I were you, I would start talking… where is Kaito?"
☯
Yamamoto and twenty keisatsu were levelling the yakuza numbers. Their task force comprised of young officers armed with the same flintlocks as their enemies. The peppery smell of gunpowder filled the night air as round pellets flew from all angles and ricocheted on concrete walls.
"How the fuck do these pigs have guns?" said a yakuza after his comrade's head got blown to bits.
"I don't know man!" came a reply from another yakuza, taking cover from the lead projectiles. "Keep firing… they'll run out of pellets soon enough!"
☯
An armed yakuza rushed in to the daimyo's chamber. "Lord Hasegawa! The palace is under atta–" He paused when he saw Daisuke restrained.
Silence filled the air. Everyone in the room remained still. There was three people on each side. Daisuke with his subordinates against Keisuke and the Lightning ninjas. Takumi was closer to Keisuke and Daisuke whilst Kazuo was in front of the guard. The yakuza stood at the door, pistol in hand.
Daisuke shifted his gaze to Keisuke. "If anything happens to me," he whispered, grinning. "You will never see your brother again."
I still need him alive...
Keisuke's grip loosened and Daisuke elbowed him on the gut. Once free, Daisuke ran for the door. "Shoot them! Shoot them down!!"
Keisuke saw the yakuza taking aim and jumped in front of Takumi. A loud bang echoed. Keisuke dropped on the floor with a shot to his chest.
Takumi turned to Keisuke and the latter grinned.
"I'll be f–" Keisuke coughed.
Before the yakuza could reload, Takumi picked Keisuke's knife and tossed it. Blood spewed from the man's neck as he got stabbed before dropping on the floor.
Takumi rushed towards Keisuke and examined his chest. "You shouldn't h–"
"D–Don't…" Keisuke coughed. "You worry about me." He unbuttoned his uniform, revealing steel armour underneath. "Go help him..."
Meanwhile, Kazuo had taken severe beatings from the guard. His arms were red from blocking the wooden batons. Also, the fight with Daichi had taken a toll on his body. As he fell, everything around him turned black.
Takumi saw an unconscious Kazuo being pummeled and dashed for the knife. After retrieving the blade, he charged and shoved it into the man's back. The guard turned around and knocked him with a baton.
"Arrrghhh!" the guard groaned, sensing a sharp pang on his back. He struggled to grasp the blade before plucking it out and tossing it on the floor.
Suddenly, Mikoto and Kaito rushed into the room just before the guard landed a final blow. Seeing her comrades passed out was enough to rile her up. She leapt at the guard, kicking him on the back of his head. He jerked forward and hit the floor rolled over and hit the floor face first. While Mikoto checked on Kazuo, Kaito confirmed that Keisuke was still alive, though unable to sit up.
The guard struggled to get up and faced Mikoto. "Hey little girl…" he said, cracking his nose and wiping the blood off it. "Run along now, unless you want to end up like these two street rats over here."
"You'll pay for this!" Mikoto's face reddened as veins popped on her temples. She charged forward with an outstretched fist. The fight had started. Her heavy punches and kicks gave her the upper hand. She disarmed the guard with ease and kneed him on the gut.
As he drew closer, she ducked and punched him on the jaw. A sharp crack sounded and the guard spat blood on the floor. Mikoto followed the initial blow with an uppercut that sent him plummeting down. She picked up his baton and beat him to a pulp.
Before Mikoto landed the final hit, Keisuke grabbed her hand. "That's enough..." he said, shaking his head when their eyes met.
At that point, the guard's face was unrecognizable.
Mikoto huffed as she dropped the bloodied stick. She dashed towards Kazuo, tears falling down her cheeks and checked for a pulse. Low...
"Will he be alright?" asked Takumi, waking up.
Mikoto faced him. "He needs medical attention..."
Just then, three keisatsu entered the daimyo's chamber. One of them, Yamamoto announced that they got the rest of the syndicate to surrender. Daichi, Dai and their subordinates were arrested while Daisuke was nowhere to be seen.
"He couldn't have gone far..." said Keisuke, facing the door before turning to his colleagues. "Yamamoto, send word to all the districts sergeants... we need to secure every border."
"Right!" Yamamoto bowed and left.
Keisuke turned to the remaining officers before pointing at Kazuo and the guard. "Let's get them to the hospital..."
The two keisatsu nodded and did as instructed.
☯
Doi Ishigami got reinstated as daimyo and one of his first decrees was awarding Keisuke's task force as local heroes. Keisuke had informed Doi that their coup would have failed without the Lightning trio's help. Hence, that honour was extended to them.
Kazuo was discharged two days later and he wore a sling to hold his arm in place. His face and torso were also covered in bandages. He felt sore and his limbs ached but the medicine they gave him numbed most of the pain. Together with his comrades, they were escorted to the royal chamber to meet with Doi.
"How can I repay you for what you have done for us, Inazuma-dono? Fame? Riches? Or even one of daughters' hand in marriage?" Doi placed a chubby hand on his pot belly. He could have been in his forties with a dark chonmage hairstyle and goatee. He wore the dark green–Earth daimyo haori, black kimono and a white hakama. Around his neck was a golden rosary with a crucifix. "You name it..."
Kazuo cleared his throat. "Well, there's only one thing that I'm asking for... the Earth blade–Dōjin."
"That's our nation's treasure, given to us as a peace treaty by Kazuro-sama to my grandfather."
"But it rightfully belongs to–"
Takumi placed a hand on Kazuo's chest. "If I may, Lord Doi..." he said, adjusting his glasses. "What Kazuo isn't saying is that there's a war coming. Shadows have taken over Kaminari and who knows which region might be next? We are simply requesting to borrow Dōjin to help us retake our village and region."
"Hmm, you raise valid points young Artisan..." Doi glanced at the Lightning ninjas before turning to his new Sergeant, Keisuke. "I will have to convene with my council on that. Let us meet again tomorrow..."
The following day, Doi granted Kazuo permission to take the Earth blade. However, there were several people present who looked angered and unhappy about the decision. It was thanks to Keisuke who had managed to convince the daimyo on their behalf. Kazuo being the only one to wield Dōjin since it was left by the Legendary Sage also aided to his case.
Kazuo and his friends were filled with joy at the great news. The trio bid Doi together with his daughters Eri and Maki farewell. As they left the palace to retrieve Dōjin, they were escorted by Keisuke and Kaito. Kazuo joked about how the eldest daughter Eri kept looking at Kaito and everyone chuckled.
"No, she was not!" Kaito's cheeks became red. "A princess like her could never see a peasant like me that way..."
"Don't sell yourself short," said Mikoto, rustling Kaito's hair. "Just be you and she'll notice it..."
Kazuo laughed. "That's no help, do something great and she'll have no choice but to fall for you."
"Like what?" asked Kaito.
"Saving the country is a start," said Takumi.
Keisuke laughed and they all joined in.
Before long, they reached Iwa prison and Kazuo retrieved the Earth blade. Keisuke and Kaito walked with them until they reached the outskirts of the Soil district. The farmer was waiting for them with their carriage still intact. Takumi paid the man for keeping it safe and they readied to leave.
"So, where are you guys headed from here?" asked Kaito as the trio loaded their stuff.
"Yamaguchi," said Kazuo.
Keisuke waved at them. "Safe travels."
The trio thanked the Soil brothers and waved back.
"Sayonara!"
☯
Daisuke landed on the deserted shoreline of Kagawa in the Shadow region. Before getting out of the wooden boat, six ninjas clad in all black appeared and surrounded him.
"Halt!" said one ninja, placing her katana on the back of Daisuke's neck. "State your business here..."
"I mean you no harm…" Daisuke raised his hands, sweating. "I would like to speak to Lord Kagero, I have information on Kazuo Inazuma."