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 organisation–"
"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 consisted of mostly young officers armed with the yakuza's flintlocks. A peppery scent filled the night air as round pellets flew from all angles.
"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 into 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 froze. There were 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 by 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 in 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 to 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 and he dropped on the floor.
Takumi rushed towards Keisuke and examined his chest. "You shouldn't h–"
"D–Don't…" Keisuke coughed. "Worry about me." He unbuttoned his uniform, revealing steel armour and shifted his gaze. "Go help him instead..."
Meanwhile, Kazuo had taken severe beatings. 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. Retrieving the blade, he charged and shoved it into the man's back.
"Argh!" the guard groaned, turning around. Using his baton, he whacked Takumi on the head. Shit! He struggled to grab the knife. When he plucked it out, he dropped it on the floor next to Takumi.
Suddenly, Mikoto and Kaito rushed into the room just before the guard landed a final blow. Seeing her comrades passed out riled her up. She leapt at the guard, kicking him on the back of his head.
The guard jerked forward and hit the floor–face first. He struggled to get up and leaned against the wall. "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 and connected a knee to his 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 and he toppled on the floor. She picked up his baton and beat him to a pulp.
Before Mikoto landed the finishing blow, 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..."
Suddenly, Yamamoto entered the daimyo's chamber with three keisatsu. "The Hasegawa Syndicate has finally surrendered. We've arrested two of the San Dai Kyōdai (Three Dai Brothers) and their subordinates, but Daisuke has fled the district."
"He couldn't have gone far..." said Keisuke, facing the door before turning to his colleagues. "Yamamoto, send word to all the district sergeants... we need to secure every border in the country."
"Right!" Yamamoto bowed and left.
Keisuke turned to the three officers and pointed at the wounded. "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, he extended the honour to them.
Kazuo was discharged four days later and he wore a sling to hold his arm in place. His face and torso were 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, two keisatsu escorted them to meet with the daimyo.
"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 potbelly. He could have been in his forties with a chonmage hairstyle and goatee. He wore a dark green daimyo haori, a black kimono and a white hakama. Around his neck was a golden rosary. "Whatever the price, 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..." Doi paused, stroking his goatee. "Given to us as a peace treaty by your great-grandfather 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. Consider this as another treaty between the Ishigami and the Inazuma..."
"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 unhappy about the decision. It was thanks to Keisuke, who convinced the daimyo on behalf of the Lightning ninjas.
Joy filled Kazuo and his comrades when heard the great news. The trio bid farewell to Doi together with his daughters Eri and Maki. As they walked outside the palace, Keisuke and Kaito escorted them.
"We got a wagon for you," said Keisuke, gesturing at the royal carriage. "Already loaded with Dōjin."
"How did you–?" asked Kazuo.
"Takumi is a very intelligent young man," said Keisuke with a wide smile. "He thought of using a pulley system and it worked. We could use more brilliant minds like his in the force."
"Oh..." Kazuo turned to Takumi. "That's clever!"
"Right, right..." Takumi chuckled, his face turning a pinkish red. "Enough about me, alright. Did you guys notice how Princess Eri was looking at Kaito?"
Everyone except Kaito giggled. "No, she was not!" he said, cheeks reddened. "A princess like her could never see a peasant like me. Not like that, at least..."
"Don't sell yourself short," said Mikoto, rustling Kaito's hair. "Just be you and she'll notice it..."
Kazuo chuckled. "That's no help. Do something great and she'll have no choice but to fall for you."
"Like what?" asked Kaito, eyebrows raised.
"Saving the country is a start," said Takumi.
Keisuke laughed and they all joined in.
Before long, they exited the outer wall. With Takumi's directions, Keisuke drove to a nearby farm. Their former carriage was still waiting for them. After paying the farmer, they loaded the rest of their stuff.
Keisuke tried to lift Dōjin once more and failed. "If I trained for a year, I could do it..." he sighed.
Everyone burst out laughing.
"Need help?" said Kazuo, grabbing the sword with his working hand. With Mikoto's help, he dragged and placed it on their carriage. "Thank you. It would seem I needed the help too..."
Mikoto smiled. "No problem."
"So, where are you guys headed from here?" asked Kaito as the trio got onto their carriage.
"Er..." said Kazuo, scratching his head.
Kaito snapped a finger. "Oh, I understand..."
"Yeah," said Kazuo. "We can't take any chances."
Keisuke waved. "Farewell and safe travels."
"Bye, Mikoto, bye Takumi, bye Kazuo... hope you visit us next time when you pass by!" said Kaito.
The trio thanked the Soil brothers and waved back.
"Goodbye!"
☯
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 from the forestry 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."