"Is this really the level of strength the great SHINWA STATE have?"
"Maybe it's because your fighting the ones that can't channel RYUSEI like you."
"Woah, don't get mad Nero. I bet he didn't mean it."
"Well since I have collected the needed scroll. It's time for me to be the 6th person to complete this exam. Don'tchu think Tamia?"
"Ye…yes Nero!" Nero walking away.
"Tamia why are allowing him to get away what his doing?"
"You know better Faizan. Nero is our squad leader and disobey him is equivalent to a death sentence."
"Even so our mission is to only collect info on the SHINWA STATE. Not go around killing people just to test our strength."
"Sigh. When your done talking I'll see you at the tower." Tamia walks away from Faizan.
At the same time.
Racing through the smooth emerald ground their breath in sync with their footsteps and the rustling of leaves as they sprint to find Ion.
Knowing his legs will soon give up if he continues running like this Reiji leaps onto a sturdy branch. Like a student rushing home to eat he leaps from one branch to another.
On the other hand Kazuki increase his speed trying to catch up to him, unfortunately he can tell right away he will not be able to.
"By the Reiji why are you helping me track down Blondie?! Don't you want to finish the exam quickly?!" Kazuki trying to slow him down by starting a conversation.
And it works. Reiji stares down at Kazuki and match's his speed with Kazuki's slow one.
"Cause we are partners." A cheeky smile on him.
"Why dont'chu tell something and don't take it personal." Reiji ask Kazuki.
"Ya!"
"When your father was still alive was he a ninja? Also did he tell anything about ninjas?"
Kazuki glare at him with a smile then looks back ahead with a mournful expression.
"Ya. He was a ninja, but he never told me what ninjas do or anything. Only that a real ninja never runs away from a challenge."
"Oh! So that's where you got that from. None the less you don't know about ninjas."
"Ya!" His smile returns on his youthful face.
Reiji jumps on the branch in front of him, grabbing it by his hands to proceed to swing like a monkey before landing on the ground with both feet. Next to Kazuki. He inform Kazuki that he should at least know a little about ninjas before entering the academy.
He begins by saying the ninja system was created 5000 years ago when the shogun's of that period wanted to conquer the entire country. This was because ninjas had supernatural abilities and powers currently know as Sei.
Thanks to Sei and the existence of ninjas the five states was formed. This lead to countless wars due the shogun's greed to control all ninjas in the country.
"So ninjas exited before this five states and Sei?!"
"Maybe…" Looks at Kazuki for a few seconds. "…Since we do not know where Sei originated or who discovered it."
"Then what makes this year's different since there have been no war I have heard of?!"
"Cause for the past 20 years our shogunate is rumored to be the strongest ninja to the point whereby people believe him to be the strongest shogunate of them all including the current ones." A smile slightly crawl up his face he adds. "And he is known to be kind and unlike other shogunate's he wishes to unify the country into a peaceful one."
"So his the guy ahead of your father?!"
"Of course Kazuki." His smile becoming more clearer.
***
Like the smile of rotten fish filling the air, make the stomach of the two boys feel like blowing up with vomit.
They dash forward to the scent. As if light at the end of the tunnel they leap simultaneously into it.
To their surprise a field of rotten bodies is layered out in front of them. Questions arise in their heads of why and what happened to these kids.
A tiney flame ignites in his heart. Kazuki walks to every body that is laid out in front of him as he prays for their soul to be in peace.
After a few minutes of Kazuki praying to the bodies he calmly stands up hoping that one day he may come across the person who did this to do many people.
"Reiji is killing alright as long as there is a good reason?" Kazuki ask Reiji.
"In my opinion no."
"Okay,then tell me this. If you were me in this situation what would you do?"
"I don't get something why you caring so much about people you don't even know?"
"They have people who they love, cherish and would do anything to protect them, however killing someone would make those people sad and angry."
"What am trying to say is that killing another person is just wrong!!!"
Reiji sigh to say. "Then prepare your yourself cause as a ninja we are bound to meet ninjas who are willing to kill no matter the reason."
An image of a person with long jet black hair appear on Kazuki mind. With just one blink his eyes are like a bottomless dark pit and his bloodlust shoot off the roof. It is so terrifying it seems you are staring into the eyes of the devil himself.
"If so Reiji I promise to make whoever did this pay." Gripping his sword tightly.
"Then you are going to just do the opposite of what you just said." Reiji calmly glaring at him.
"I never said I'll kill him."
Just as Reiji want to say something-
*Crash* The two boys immediately look down.
He must be lucky seeing Ion who disrespected his sister after so long, cause now he can direct all the fury he currently have on him.
However Reiji sees something different about Ion. Unlike last time where his eyes were filled with a sense of superiority they are now trembling with. He wonders if this might be because of Kazuki's bloodlust.
None the less this is not how Kazuki sees it. With a quick motion he pulls out his scabbard like his unsheathing a sword pointing it at Ion.
With no second thought he dashes as if a cheetah is closing in on it's prey. In a few seconds before Ion himself can notice Kazuki next to him a scabbard hits him with a force equivalent to when a men is hit in their testicles with a 100% power.
His mind swirl in a whirl pool motion, his body crash and roll in front of Reiji feet. Reiji stares down at Ion then stares up at Kazuki who has a grin of fulfilment.
"His not dead, right Reiji?" His eyes bloodlust erased from his eyes as if nothing happened.
"Don't know." Shrugging his shoulders.
Hearing that Kazuki slowly walks to Ion hoping to check he did not kill him.
While Kazuki is walking towards him and Ion. Reiji sees a flinch on one of Ion's fingers. He scream out telling Kazuki to stop a bit.
Reiji turns Ion around grabbing him by the collar. Standing 5m away from them Kazuki wonders what Reiji plans to do.
"Blondie I know your awake." He shakes Ion's body. "If you don't wake up I'll tell Kazuki to hit you again on the head. Which am sure this time you will not just bleed instead it will kill you."
Ion opens his eyes glaring at Reiji.
"What do you wa…want?"
"Kazuki you have something you want to say to him."
With no smile nor a cheerful tone Kazuki ask Ion why the hell did he disrespect his sister for. Ion can see the seriousness in Kazuki's eyes.
"I thought it would be funny. So sorry." Muttering to himself.
*Bang* Kazuki scabbard banged on the ground. He tells Ion to say it like how he was disrespecting his sister.
"I thought it would be funny. Sorry!!!" His scream chase out the birds on the trees.
Kazuki looks at him one last time and heads over a tree leaning on it. At last he was able to get a apology from the person who disrespected his sister.
Even so he can not fully relax as he still has someone he have to make pay .
"Blondie why were you hiding in that tree?"
This question catch's Kazuki's attention.
"Reiji are you about to ask him what am thinking?!" Kazuki ask Reiji.
"I don't know what your thinking, but I am guessing Blondie knows what happened here as well as who did it. Am I right?"
Ion gulps. "Yeah I know." Diverting his eyes from Reiji.
TBC.
Next Chapter: 28 April.