"Oi, Yamamoto!" One guard posted inside the fence waved. She turned towards Kazuo–her smile turning into a frown. "What did the boy do?"
"H–He's from the Soil... I caught him trying to climb the inner wall."
"Tch," said the lady officer, spitting on the ground. "Not another one of those..."
"Y–You can say that again..."
She swung the gate open. "Put him in the cells."
Kazuo moved ahead, and Yamamoto followed. The Ishigami streets paled in lighting compared to Iwa prison. A dozen officers also patrolled the yard and buildings with their batons at the ready. For a moment, they halted and gave the prisoner sharp stares. His chances of leaving were close to zero.
Kazuo ignored the spectators, and his eyes wandered about the yard. At the centre of the prison, a boulder stood a few metres away from him. Shoved halfway into it was a wide blade. White bandages covered the sword's hilt and a piece of the cloth waved in the cool breeze.
☯
Takumi, Mikoto and Kaito had reached a tall building with two storeys and a flat roof. They approached the Hasegawa warehouse, sneaking through the cover of dark alleyways and fewer street lanterns.
One yakuza sat on a chair by the front door, a flintlock pistol holstered at his waist. His head faced upwards and his snores were audible at a closer distance.
The trio glanced through a few openings, checking to clear the ground floor.
Afterwards, Takumi drew a baton and gestured for them to take the gun.
They tiptoed towards the man, maintaining silence–save for their loud heartbeats.
"Huh?" said the yakuza, a hand tugging at his holster. "What the f–"
Takumi sent him back to sleep with the baton.
"Phew," said Mikoto with a sigh. "That was close."
They took the pistol, bound the yakuza to his chair and entered the warehouse. A mixture of spicy and sulphuric aromas filled the empty ground floor. Packed on either side of the opposite wall were two stacks of wooden barrels.
Takumi followed the scents and opened a barrel where the sulphur was more pronounced. He placed a hand inside and noted the black soot on it. "Perfect!" he said, unable to hide the excitement in his whisper. "Let's head upstairs." With a pistol in hand, he led the way as they tiptoed on the steps.
In one room, a yakuza was asleep on a tatami next to a courtesan. The lady woke just as the trio walked in and tried to cover herself. "Aaa–"
Mikoto placed a finger on her mouth and gestured for her to leave.
Suddenly, the yakuza jolted upwards and grabbed his pistol on the floor. Bang! Blood shot from the man's head, and he fell back on the mat–dead.
"Aahh!" Red covered the woman's face. Before her scream left the room, a finger covered her mouth.
"Get out," said Mikoto. "And don't say a word."
The courtesan did as instructed and ran.
Meanwhile, Takumi stood frozen on the spot. His heart was thumping out of his chest. He dropped the pistol but his hands were still shaking. Had he hesitated or fired a second later, one of them would be lying on the ground instead.
The trio left the room with two pistols in their possession. They cleared the rest of the first floor and proceeded downstairs. They toppled a few of the barrels and made a black trail leading outside. Afterwards, they dragged the sitting guard to a safe distance.
Takumi ignited the trail with a lantern and darted away. "Run!"
On command, Kaito and Mikoto took to their feet. Takumi dashed, following the two into an alleyway. Suddenly, there was a deafening eruption followed by an immediate shockwave. They halted for a moment as the earth shook.
"Don't stop!" said Takumi, staring at the black cloud behind them.
The trio resumed, with Kaito leading. Many houses lit up on the way as residents. A blockade of keisatsu appeared in the distance. There was no escape.
"Intruders!" one civilian shouted from their house.
"Catch them!" said another voice.
Kaito made a sharp turn and skidded to a halt.
The Lightning ninjas followed suit when they saw an angry mob ahead of them. "Scatter!" said Takumi, dropping a smoke bomb on the ground.
☯
Kazuo felt a sense of awe as he gazed at the sword in the stone. Still admiring it, a tremendous explosion echoed in the distance. He got out of his brief trance. That's the signal...
Officers raced around the yard as panic filled them.
Yamamoto's eyebrows raised and he turned to his prisoners. "So... is this also part of your doing?"
Before Kazuo answered, a keisatsu with a few badges on his uniform rushed towards them. "Officer..." he said, catching a breath. "Get this boy in a cell and head to the Hasegawa warehouse!"
Yamamoto saluted. "Yes, Sergeant."
"Are you also with the syndicate?" asked Kazuo when the senior officer had left.
Yamamoto shook his head. "N–"
"Then that's perfect..." Kazuo freed himself with a wide grin. "Cause this is… an uprising!" He raced toward the boulder and jumped on top of it. When he touched Dōjin's hilt, Kazuro's memories flooded his mind. He looked upward, pupils rolled back and started trembling. "Aargh!" he groaned, summing up all his might.
"Hey! What are you doing?" said Yamamoto, running towards Kazuo. "No one has ever pulled it out. Not even the strongest Hasegawa–"
The blade nudged.
"Uh–huh…" Kazuo grunted while squatting atop the boulder. "Come on!" He tugged even harder and the blade slid through the rock until its tip was out.
Yamamoto's jaw was on the ground. "No way..."
"I... told you," said Kazuo with a slight grin. He breathed deeply, wiping sweat from his temples. I knew it. His knees wobbled as he lifted the sword.
Dōjin was heavier and bigger than Raijin. It had two curved blades–a bigger cleaver and a smaller axe. A black chain link connected the two pieces.
Suddenly, four officers emerged from one building. Their jaws dropped when they saw Kazuo holding the nation's treasure. "Put it back!" said one of them, pointing a baton at him. "Put it back this instant!"
Kazuo detached the two blades and advanced. That way, they felt much lighter. He sliced their batons, running past them before heading towards his captive. "Let's go!" he said, stopping briefly.
Yamamoto nodded.
"Sound the bell!" said one keisatsu, raising his voice. "An inmate has escaped! Sound the bell!"
Another shouted at Yamamoto. "Stop him!"
Yamamoto looked at Kazuo before looking at the prison wardens. Picking the former, he took to his feet and followed the boy. The first person to wield Dōjin since Kazuro. It had to be fate. They raced back to the gate with three guards behind them.
Kazuo slowed his pace. "We're almost there..."
"You asked… uh–if I was with one of those… corrupt officers," Yamamoto gasped for air. "I'm not. There's some of us who actually want to take down the Hasegawa Syndicate, but we're too few."
☯
Thirteen armed men intercepted Takumi, Mikoto and Kaito at the Ishigami gate. A loud bell tolled in the distance and the syndicate slowly encircled them.
A sweat trickling down Kaito's temple. "Oh... crap."
Six of the men were officers carrying batons. Another six yakuza–each with a pistol, wore black kimono suits. The leader wore a black haori vest and baggy trousers. Bandages covered his exposed arms and forehead. He appeared to be in his late teens with tall, spiky hair and a lean build. On each hand he carried a wooden nunchaku.
"Lord Dai," said one yakuza. "These must be the guys who blew up our warehouse." He aimed his pistol at Takumi. "But... they look like ordinary kids."
"You fool..." said Dai before turning to Mikoto and Takumi. "There's nothing ordinary about these two."
The Lightning ninjas stood in front of Kaito. Takumi aimed his pistol while Mikoto drew two knives.
"Yo... don't even think about it!" Dai scoffed, his voice sounding more frantic. "You won't make it out of here alive, got it? Where are you from?"
Kaito let out a scream. "They're from Kaminari!" he started trembling as his trousers dampened. "Please don't kill me, I'm just a kid from the Soil District."
"Quick to rat out your friends, eh, boy? Hahaha… you'll be the first to die." Dai turned to his men and gave them an order. "Take them to the palace. I first need to check on the goods at the warehouse." He ogled Mikoto and grinned. "Leave her in my room."