The Sabre of Heizugakure

[America]

The adventure of Makino Yosai begins here.


It was neither my duty nor right to accept the Sabre of Heizugakure. I wish to make that very clear here. Yusuke had pronounced me the next Kage on his deathbed; it wasn't legal, yet his words carried power and influence. The commander of the anbu immediately hailed me as the lawful eleventh Kage of Heizugakure. The other military officers were less certain of what actions to take. No Kage had been chosen by his predecessor without an election first, but, the tenth’s massive sway over the village and its people legitimized my claim in the eyes of the junior officers.

I scratched my forehead and swept my hair to the sides of my face. My head nodded passively as I pondered what to do in this situation. My hand reached up to chew the already worn nails of my calloused hands, but it stopped before its destination. My head turned around, peaking outside of the tent to see the Sabre of Heizugakure firmly planted into the ground. Maeda’s first division had gathered around the command tent, waiting for the outcome of this ad hoc meeting. Nobody dared to get closer than a few feet to the sword. They all had puzzled looks on their faces. Does the campaign end here? Do we disband this army after just one battle?

I acted by impulse. These men needed their Kage now more than ever. Heizugakure had not lost a battle in a long damn time under the leadership of Yusuke. This most recent battle ended in a decisive victory. For the Eastern Coalition. The allied contingent from Hokorigakure was absolutely demolished, suffering a casualty rate of about 85%. The last of their one hundred and fifty or so troops would no doubt be disbanded and sent home. Only a miracle could ever coerce more reinforcements in the future.

I nodded and grunted in approval of a statement nobody had made. The sun was brutal on the Plains of Ribo. My eyes squinted as I strolled outside to the bottom of the hill that protected us from our enemy’s sight. About two hundred curious eyes watched my movements. I looked around at them, their light red vests and steel armbands identifying them clearly as Heizugakure shinobi. Nearby shinobi kneeled as I moved closer to the blade. This rippled throughout the rest of the gathered troops, I could now see the depth of this body of people. Perhaps five hundred men and women of standing threw themselves to the dirt before me. It was not custom to kneel even to the Kage; they are the representative of the people, not royalty. If I took up this sword, would I be more than a Kage? A lord? A king? An emperor?

No matter; that could be decided later. As of now, I would be the supreme commander of this army. Some of the nearby shinobi raised their head to watch as I reached out to the sabre. The air between my hand and the hilt crackled with blue chakra. When my finger touched the grip, pure power blew the surrounding dirt and dust into the sky. I went a step further and completely grasped the handle, despite the sensation of my arm being ripped apart. I could barely find the strength to remove it from the ground; but alas, it came free and I held it up, beckoning to the heavens above. I wouldn't have been surprised if lightning struck from the cloudless sky. Thankfully it didn't.

After holding the Sabre of Heizugakure towards to the sky for a few moments, a roar erupted from the mob of shinobi. They jumped to their feet and held their clenched fists up high in solidarity. A grin came across my face as reality sank in. These soldiers cared not for politics and elections; and that I, Makino Yosai, was the eleventh Heizukage by their approval.


Feel free to leave your opinions or any suggestions.

[Mars]

Nicely written, not too long to bore me, laid out nicely.
8/10

[Diamond Lee]

Is this just a cheeky little story or does it have foundations in the lore and does/will it affect it?

I still don't know all the lores too well and I've noticed that many of them contradict each other so I was wondering if this was based on SLO lore or not.

[Tsunayoshi]

Is this just a cheeky little story or does it have foundations in the lore and does/will it affect it?

I still don't know all the lores too well and I've noticed that many of them contradict each other so I was wondering if this was based on SLO lore or not.

It's the lore about me...

This was kinda deep, way too many feelings and back&forth here & there. Overall a very good read tho.

[America]

I don't know what Tsuna is on about, I haven't read his character story so maybe this is similar; but this is the first part of a story I've been writing recently

[Diamond Lee]

I don't know what Tsuna is on about, I haven't read his character story so maybe this is similar; but this is the first part of a story I've been writing recently

Lol tsuna

[Kai]

Great start, i'm expecting a lot from this story.

[Ghost0000]

Nice one man 

[America]

The journey continues.


I turned around to face Yusuke’s secretary with the Sabre’s sheath in his hand. He offered it up and I took it readily, eager to contain the power of this weapon.

“Sir. They want a speech. Or anything, really. Affirmation of this campaign’s direction.” I pondered on this for a moment. There certainly was no speech prepared, and improvisation wouldn't be pretty. Facing the troops, I opened my mouth to speak.

“This war will not be over before it truly begins. Our enemy is seeking to advance through no man’s land. Hold no doubts, friends. They know not our resolve. Shattered on the field is not equivalent to shattered in our hearts. Yusuke Noboru led us proud into defeat. Now, I don't know about you all, but I firmly believe he sacrificed himself just yesterday so that we, his children, may live to fight another. And now I must stand where he stood. He conferred this honor upon me, not because I knew battle; yet rather because I knew him. I know his vision for moving forward, and I will never stop trying to carry it forward even without his guidance. He will certainly be remembered.

But let us not speak ill of past endeavors; we must look towards the future. We must look towards the enemy that faces us today. These men of Wood, Hill and Snow cannot be allowed to ravage our lands. I know that I will stop at no lengths to send them crawling back to their backwards, barbaric lands. But what say you?”

“TO BATTLE!” One shinobi cried, the rest soon taking up his cheer. Good. I didn't fuck it up to the point of no return. I grinned and strolled back into the command tent.

“First things first, a strength report.” Yusuke’s secretary scurried off to collect the numbers.

“Sir, three senior commanders left for the village after your speech. I think they wrote it down. If I had to guess, they are going to present it to the village elders. No doubt civil war will follow.” Hyousuke, the Anbu commander, spoke this time.

“I think you know what to do. Don't send the whole Anbu, though. We need every man we can get for the upcoming battles.” Hyousuke nodded and walked off, talking to his Anbu captains.

“Sir, the numbers.” The secretary had returned, a piece of paper in his hand.
“Go on. Read it.” I nodded in approval.

“Right; for Heizugakure: Division one - one hundred and seventy six total. Regiment one has forty two, regiment two has forty five, regiment three has forty one, regiment four has forty eight. Next, division two - one hundred and sixty one. Regiment one has th…” The monotony of his voice continued for the next ten or so minutes, listing each of Heizugakure’s sixteen divisions and their four regiments. Only two divisions hadn't seen combat, but still sustained three casualties. Who fucking knows how.

“And finally, regiment four has one hundred and ninety eight. That's all for Heizugakure shinobi.” He finished, placing the piece of paper on the desk before me.

“Right, and what of our allies?” This was the real question. I knew Heizugakure could still field roughly about 2500 shinobi, but Kazangakure and Haigakure would be pressed to leave the campaign now.
“Erm, good and bad news, sir. Which would you like first?”
“I don't fucking care, just spill the beans.”

“Right. Haigakure withdrew four of their six divisions to guard their border with Inferunogakure. They have about three hundred and sixty fighting men here.” Fuck. Well, it could be worse.

“And the good news?” The secretary avoided eye contact as he muttered the next line.
“That was the good news, sir. Kazangakure withdrew all of their shinobi. They figured if it came down to it, their mountainous region would be easy to defend.” The room went silent. My temper flared along with my chakra, burning the report in front of me to ashes. Traitors.

“Well. We have two op-” I started, but the side chatter in the room began again.
“Gather around. Shut up and huddle.” All eyes were on me. I wasn't sure how to phrase the next proposition.

“To be blunt, we have two options. No, I have two options. Either I fight for glory here and hope the people back home will legitimize my claim, or…” Some eyebrows rose in suspicion of my next option.
“I march on Heizugakure and take it by force. Consolidate power there and face the easterners another time.”

This time Maeda spoke up.
“Look, Makino. You’re a great leader and I'd follow you to death in battle. But… My first division will not take up arms against our own. Period. No questions asked.” I nodded. It was ridiculous to ask that of them.
“No, yeah, I get it. Don't sweat it. Not a serious option now. Let's just focus on the battles ahead of us.” That went poorly. The trust in me was already low enough, this did nothing to help it. Hurt it more than anything, really.

Little did I know at the time, this was the first big mistake I made as Kage. Yes, that means there were more.

[Manuster]

fuck, i don't exist

:O I'm so sorry.
You have a character page?
I guess I might have missed it
I'll put u in (if you have a character page) in the next one promise

I'd rather not exist than have a character page

Continue on, citizen

[Toratsume Nyshn]

Finally... got time to read all of it...
And I wasn't disappointed!
Good job... looking forward for the third installment.
Chronicles of Heizugakure: The conquest of Juichidaime
:p

[America]

fuck, i don't exist

:O I'm so sorry.
You have a character page?
I guess I might have missed it
I'll put u in (if you have a character page) in the next one promise

I'd rather not exist than have a character page

Continue on, citizen

This isn't my character if that's what you're implying, just a story.

[America]

The next day came at a crawling slow speed. I spent the entire night planning strategies and tactics with each division commander, and their subsequent regiment captains. It was mostly to get the entire army on the same page, but also doubled as a way to earn their trust. If I would be so devoted to each and every one of them, that would inspire loyalty, right? We'll see.

The slightly grassy plains had been our temporary camp for the last three days, and it was time to move out. The hills in front and to our left would normally have left little options for movement, however, I elected to go straight over them. The wind blew my dusty brown hair around until I finally put on a cloak with a hood.

For a few hours, the divisions ran and slowed, making their way across the terrain. I was pleasantly surprised to find they were capable of maintaining formations, making it easier to issue commands to a square unit of shinobi rather than a blob. By afternoon, the second Anbu regiment had returned. Quicker than expected - things were going my way.

“Sir.” Hyousuke caught his breath after a fast paced journey.
“Blows were traded, but one managed to escape. We predict he's heading straight back to the village as guessed.” Well, that put a damper on my mood. I motioned for him to continue.

“We were able to bring back one alive.”
“What do you mean? Did the other just vanish from this dimension?” If he didn't escape or get captured, where co-... A scowl made its way onto my face.

“Tell me you didn't kill him. TELL ME, THAT YOU DIDN’T JUST KILL, A HIGH RANKING, LEGITIMATELY, MIGHT I ADD, HIGH RANKING COMMANDER, OF OUR OWN FUCKING VILLAGE!” If Hyousuke hadn't shown immediate loyalty earlier, along with extreme usefulness, I might have killed him on the spot. Smashed that stupid fucking Anbu mask that mocked me.

Before I could truly unleash my anger, a scout from the division on recon patrol at the time approached me. He looked as if he would piss his pants at any moment, bravery which I commend to this day.

“Sir, t-the Fourth Division has spotted some Morigakure shinobi atop the hill across from that one.” He turned and pointed to a hill at the edge of my view.

“Good, good. That's good, amazing. Um, yeah, no. Alright, call up Maeda and Hiruma.” I nodded my head, planning the deployment in my head.
“How many did you say there were?” I asked the scout, who was still kneeling in front of me. “Stand up, too.”

“Erm, about two divisions, maybe. We can't tell how many are on the other side of the hill, though.” Right. I pushed the matter with the Anbu out of my mind. It was time to battle.

I stood atop the hill, alone, as I watched the Fourth Division’s First Regiment run across the field as bait. I knew that a whole division by itself would be too obvious of a bait. But, this… Well, this was dangerous, and hopefully effective. When I looked back again, the regiment was about halfway between both hills, running towards the sparse forest on our right.

The attack did not happen as I planned. I should've thought about it, being Morigakure shinobi. One of the two divisions were legacy shinobi. As far as I could tell, they had used their chakra mix to form bows and proceeded to rain hell upon the poor regiment in the plains. I knew everything wouldn't go according to my plans, but I didn't expect Maeda to completely abandon the strategy.

Maeda’s division had been placed underground as a trap for when the Morigakure divisions pursued our bait. Of course, that wasn't happening, so Maeda decided to screw the plans and come to the rescue. They blew out of the ground, forming all kind of earth walls and barriers to stop the projectiles.

The slaughter intensified when the Morigakure shinobi revealed their true plan. White smoke covered the battleground as the substituted arrows wore off. Within seconds, two divisions, let me remind you, four hundred shinobi, had displaced themselves onto our men. So I gave the only order I could.

“Right, left, left, right, left...” I pointed to separate divisions, ordering them in which direction to go. I watched as red vests poured over the hills. Three divisions charged right into the fray, six divisions formed a semicircle, closing off escape for the enemy’s two divisions. With Maeda’s currently engaged, that totaled ten divisions in action. Where were the rest you may ask?

That comes in later. Now, of course, our entire army moving had not gone unnoticed, and soon, the mob came. As expected, the whole damn eastern coalition had been waiting beyond the hill on the other side of the plain. The time to fight was now. I drew the Sabre of Heizugakure and prayed this experience wouldn't be as painful as the last.

Formations broke immediately as the easterners hit the outside of the semicircle. It was time for our shinobi to show their skill in jutsu rather than following orders and making pretty formations.

[Toratsume Nyshn]

things are getting clearer now... And even more interesting

[America]

As the shinobi locked into combat, I looked over my shoulder to Hiruma. She slowly approached with a look of regret on her face.
“Sir, the divisions hidden in the hills to our left have been discovered, I think they should be able to hold, though. The forces in the forest should be ready.” I nodded, motioning her to proceed. Above me, a large symbol burned into the sky; the sign to charge. Three more divisions poured from the forest, getting the jump on some unexpecting shinobi. Now was my time to help.

“You've got this here, Hirumi. Keep the Anbu with you, I'll be fine by myself.” The Sabre seemed to agree with me. It hummed to life as I barreled down the hill, flopping loosely in my hand. Before I could reach the epicenter of the fighting, several shinobi interrupted me. I wasted no time on the attack.

My face was barely centimeters from the first opponents when my palm reached him. Under normal circumstances, he would have been toasted a bit around the point of impact, along with a quite powerful pushback, but instead, with the augmentation of the Sabre, my Sun’s Rise Jutsu left nothing but ashes blowing into the wind. He had been completely vaporized in less than milliseconds of being touched. At least he got a proper cremation.

My own surprise created an opening for attack; a solid kick carried with the power of Earth Style barely missed my head, landing solidly on my shoulder. I flipped mid air, dragging my left hand along the ground to slow down, plunging the Sabre into the ground with the other. No time was wasted by my adversaries. I raised my head to see a large fist of wood coming down quickly. Using the grounded sword as my axis of rotation, I spun out of harm’s way, following up quickly by yanking the sword out of the ground and using the momentum to slash upwards. The poor guy’s wood-augmented arm came cleanly off and he quickly received a uppercut kick to the jaw that sent him flying. Or dying. He wouldn't be returning to battle.

Again, no time was wasted, but this time, I felt as if they were slowing down. The girl reaching out to me with a kunai received three swift strikes with the sword in an instant. The odd part was, she didn't seem to notice it. They weren't small weak cuts, these slices had enough power to chop a man in half. While I delivered the strikes, she hadn't moved more than a centimeter at most. In the most bizarre event yet, time seemed to resume and the pieces of her body split along the lines which I had cut. Apparently the ability to slow time, or maybe just speed myself up, was not beyond the Sabre of Heizugakure.

The ninja opposing me seemed to stop for a second. They looked at each other, all eventually looking to what seemed to be their captain. He began weaving hand signs. If there's any time to be worried in life, it's when you're standing in front of a group of shinobi who are weaving hand signs. Immediately I jumped backwards and formed a short jutsu which brought forward heavy fog. You can't hit what you can't see. Another, slightly longer, set of seals turned the sky dark and rain began to fall. With the power of the sword, these usually more complicated techniques felt like an academy jutsu. Fire suddenly roared into the my protective fog. I felt a presence approaching.

Hirumi came before me. She had hate in her eyes.
“We can't win this battle, Makino. We're going to surrender. I lied about the divisions hiding in the hills, they didn't get engaged on. We don’t, no, we can't recognize you as Kage. Just step down and go home. Everything will be fine.” Traitorous little twats. I stopped to listen for a second. The sound of fighting had disappeared. Had she really surrendered using my authority?

“Anyone, the easterners were winni-” I lost it.
“WERE. THEY WERE WINNING, MAYBE BECAUSE SOME FUCKING RETARD DECIDED TO HOLD BACK A FUCKING FOURTH OF THE DAMN ARMY. AND YOU FUCKING WONDER WHY WE LOSE.” I stepped closer to her, poised to strike. She backed away as I advanced.

“YOU HAVE GOT TO BE, THE FUCKING WORST COMMANDER I HAVE EVER SEEN.” I understand it was out of principle that she betrayed me, but I was in a fit of rage.
Suddenly fire surrounded me. I could tell there were multiple shinobi trying to box me in with a combined fire jutsu. I withdrew the fog, creating power to sculpt water with. I shot a focused blast through one side and took off. Hirumi had disappeared, maybe a clone. As I freed myself from the inferno, I saw them. Shinobi, left and right. Everywhere. Bloodied, bruised, battered, I even saw one missing an arm. The fire had subsided and I turned around to look again. More shinobi, this time, Heizugakure ninja. My men. And so I walked towards them. They didn't flinch, but some of them gulped in anticipation.

“Move aside.” I said as I reached a particularly young boy. He was maybe seventeen or eighteen.
He looked down and said these words. “No, sir.” The nerve.
“I don't take that for an answer.” The girl next to him then turned towards me.
“He said no. Leave him alone.” I looked at her, promptly causing her to look away.
“Fair enough. He should be prepared to back that up with force, then.” The guy tightened and began to reach for a kunai. I back away and walked more towards the center of this circle.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? I TRIED TO LEAD YOU WELL. I FUCKING TRIED, YET YOU GIVE ME THIS SHIT.” I yelled to anybody who would listen. “FUCK IT. I DON’T CARE. COME AT ME. I HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. YOU WANT THIS SWORD AND MY LIFE, HUH? TAKE IT, THEN.” The Heizugakure shinobi looked confused. Himuri nodded and the stampede began.

 I dashed past the front line, going straight for Himuri. A sword came swinging from my right. I parried with the Sabre, planting my right foot down hard and kicking backwards with my left. It connected, and the assailant flew backwards. Another shinobi dove for me, kunai extended. I dodged back, falling onto my left wrist while I grabbed his extended arm. With a quick flare up of my chakra, half of the guy’s body was ash and dust.

I backflipped onto somebody’s shoulders, dispatching them quickly with a snap of the neck. My gaze wondered. The Heizugakure shinobi were in disarray, but they were beginning to lock onto my movements. One charged straight at me only to receive a quick slash across the face. More like through the head, but you get the point. I lined up a Liquid Inferno Jutsu and spewed rapidly spreading flames at a group of unexpecting ninja. Their equipment was doused in an almost invisible liquid, and soon burst into bright flames.

All of these events transpired so quickly that the dead man I stood atop just now collapsed to the ground. A deadly line of scalding water blew past me as I fell. I looked to the source, only to see Hirumi herself.
“Shadow Clone Jutsu!” I changed my momentum by summoning shadow clones to swing me back upward. And up I went. Ten or so meters into the air, I flung several Phoenix Flame Jutsu in Hirumi’s direction. They did not hit, of course, but there was some collateral damage.

 I heard the earth below groaning and shaking. Elongated spears shot upward from the ground. I chopped one as it reached me and dodged the others, using the momentum of the swing. I came down onto the side of one of the spears, using my chakra to stay on it. More flung from the ground, combined with boulders, slabs of dirt, rock, grass, etc. Kunai flew towards me, which I was able to dodge and parry easily - but, the more coordinated attacks were starting to worry me. Another round of spears jabbed towards me. Who was using this jutsu?

I had no time to think on it. I had not fallen down, despite believing I had avoided all of them. A quick look down disproved my thoughts. One had nailed me right through the lower stomach. Upon seeing my own blood, I started to twitch. Blood spilled out of my mouth. I could hear the shouting, the yelling. Was that… cheering? I grabbed the spear that had stuck me with my left hand and blew it apart. My legs barely kept me on two feet as I reached the ground. I began to walk away, holding my stomach. It… wasn’t that bad. I think. It hurt. Everything started to hurt.

“It’s over, Makino. Drop the sabre.” Hirumi’s voice. I sneered while I grabbed a kunai, and gave it the best toss I could. It barely made it to her, and she easily blocked it. I took off again, sabre dragging on the ground as I stumbled as fast as I could away from the battle. They quickly moved to stop my escape. I was surrounded. I had no other options. I brought the damned sword around, its tip pointed to my gut. At least, the part that hadn’t been shanked already.

“Don’t. You can live. You will go to trial, but you will have time to reflect on your thoughts.” Hirumi’s voice was next to me. She put one hand on my shoulder, the other on my hands, trying to dissuade them from one final thrust. I shoved her off with my shoulders, trying to follow up as quickly as I could with a swing. It was half-assed and threw me off balance. I fell to the rain soaked ground. I’ve got chakra for about one last go. I closed my eyes. I could feel the chakra humming beneath the surface of the sabre. My chakra focused and intensified. The seal. I rushed the seal with all I could, chakra-wise.

“NO! STOP!” One shinobi yelled. They could tell what I was doing. The sword was kicked out of my hand. Too late. The seal had been punctured. Not shattered completely by any means, but the chakra would slowly leak o-.

A bright light overcame me. Apparently it had been broken enough to set off the chakra. I could hear the distressed shinobi yell as the sabre went supernova. I smiled and closed my eyes.


Thus ends the story of Makino Yosai, and the Sabre of Heizugakure.

I hope you all enjoyed this short story. Feel free to leave feedback or suggestions for future stories.