Chapter 1 – The Ways of Human Nature<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
It was a dark, quiet night; and all that made a sound was the owl in the tree covering the great samurai’s head. He had fought for many suns and moons straight, and it was his first bit of rest since the initial battle broke out. The war between the paladins, the samurai of the emperor, the daimyo armies, the multiple ninja clan… and how could he possibly forget the ronin of the phoenix talon mercenary army… and there he was… in the middle of a battle field, with layers upon layers of bodies and sliced up limbs in a valley just a short way from the ocean. If he were to simply follow the valley until the end he would be at the ocean between Honshu and Shikoku. He looked up at the night sky his eyes gleaming in the moonlight; his scar over his eye clearly visible. He looked fearless in his armour and he made an oath underneath the stars. He swore to bring peace to the land and kill all those who commanded armies to achieve power. He was the last warrior left on the battle field. All others had perished. <o:p></o:p>
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He stared down at the armour of a fallen foe. He said to himself; “all this over such an old sword… It doesn’t even appear to be any more special than a common katana…” He was confused as to why the many armies were after him… fighting for a household sword. The samurai thought the world had gone mad. He stood there with his armour and mask, wondering how the battles would end. Jiro trained in the same valley for several weeks on end. He attacked the air and the mountain side with incredible power, simply trying to damage all that was around him. He slashed through several trees and pulled them into place to make a road block to stop the proceeding army of the emperor which was bound to follow.<o:p></o:p>
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Jiro raced toward the sea, determined to keep the sword he held and use it against all those who dared cross his path. Once he had made it to the docks he met a traveler who was in need of assistance from the many armed bandits trying to rob him. Jiro instantly drew his sword, confident in his odds. Although he was forced to fight the first 4 at the same time, Jiro prevailed. It was then that the other 5 pulled out their pistols and sawn off shot guns. Jiro dodged multiple shots to get to the first bandit and cut him down but there were still 4 left, all of which had made some distance and got to higher ground. It was going to be a tough battle. Not even some of the best samurai could fight 9 heavily armed bandits all on their own with nothing but a sword. Jiro slashed through the air and charged towards the cliff ferociously but also rather stupidly.<o:p></o:p>
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It was Jiro’s blind eye for his own safety and the willingness to put his life on the line that activated the inner power of his sword. He threw his sword up at one of the bandits in an attempt to kill him and cause the others to retreat. As he threw it, the sword suddenly started to glow a blood red colour. Then came a flash of light and steel needles went soaring through the air. It all ended as suddenly as it had started. The bandits were dead; each with many stab wounds and pouring with blood. The sword turned back to its normal silver colour and fell to the ground next to him. He suddenly felt a surge of power run through his veins and he turned to the trader he had saved but the man was frightened by the magical power of the sword and thus considered Jiro to be dangerous. <o:p></o:p>
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The trader had called the sentinel units and they were slowly advancing towards him. He took no notice of them and ran into the dock town nearby. He found a job as a blacksmith forging swords and guns for others to buy. He continued to work there until he had enough money to buy the best pistol that he himself had made. With the gun in hand as well as the mysterious Kaze Fenikkusu, he continued his journey to the sea between <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place>Honshu</st1:place> and <st1:place>Shikoku</st1:place> and by the time he had made it to the sea the guards had caught up with him. He was in luck though as none of them had guns. He was quick to get to work, slashing and spinning to infinity. He killed them all within seconds. There would be more guards arriving shortly with better weaponry, both of ranged and of close combat style. Jiro knew this and so he left by ship on his journey to <st1:place>Shikoku</st1:place>.
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Chapter 2 – Number 12
The journey was long. He eventually arrived at the <st1:place><st1
laceType>island</st1laceType> of <st1laceName>Shikoku</st1laceName></st1:place> only to be surrounded along with his hired crew by an army of mercenaries. They were the phoenix talon army. His first question was simple; “Who hired you for my capture?” he asked. Then a tall muscular man stepped in front of the rest of the well equipped army. He was the well known leader of flames. “I am the leader of the Phoenix talon army, the well known pirate and bounty hunter Gan Ning. We were not hired for your capture. We have taken you captive in order to sell you as a prisoner. I plan on keeping that little sword of yours too. I had some men watch you fight those highway robbers and decided to trade you off as a prisoner. Your sword could be very beneficial to me.”<o:p></o:p>
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Jiro drew his sword in preparation for the battle, then suddenly a soldier near the front of the army threw a strange device at him and he fell to the ground. His magic and strength drained and he dropped his sword. “As long as you attempt to use your new magic power, you will be drained to the point where you can barely move. No playing dirty now Jiro. You shall use the same type of sword as everyone else here.” Said Gan Ning as he threw a katana to Jiro. “Fine then. I’ll beat you this way instead!” Jiro roared as he cut down the first enemy of the massive army.<o:p></o:p>
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Over and over again they swiped and slashed and stabbed at Jiro but his speed was impeccable. They simply could not hit him. Jiro was too fast and too strong. He knew exactly what to do and exactly how to do it. He would dodge left, dodge right, duck, dive, roll and slash. When he got the chance he would continue the attack. He managed to kill 30 different soldiers within the first minute and the battle had only just started. There were thousands of men in front of him all of which were willing to die for that sword behind him. He spun around while drawing his pistol and shot many enemies down. He did this until he ran out of ammunition and then he drew his sword again. There were still about 17 hundred soldiers left to battle. <o:p></o:p>
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He struck like a fierce tiger when he attacked on the battle field and moved like a calm snake or dragon when he dodged his opponent’s strikes, yet he moved as a phoenix with his airborne jumps and aerial attacks. With his dark black armour and his scar across his eye the blood red cape behind him he struck fear into his opponents with nothing but a glare. Even Gan Ning himself was starting to get worried about the fight, realizing there were less than one and a half thousand men left in his army. The way Jiro moved not to be hit by a single sword and kill over 500 men was simply amazing. He still showed NO signs of fatigue. <o:p></o:p>
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As the battle went on the samurai grew tired and by the time there were 400 men left he was nearly depleted of energy. All of a sudden a flash of light came from out in the distance. Closer and closer it came at unbelievable speeds. The enemies turned with little time to spare in order to face the shining radiant foe that was coming their way. They surrounded their leader to ensure his safety while moving into a defensive position to brace themselves for impact. For those that did so in time, they had little chance of survival. Those that did not brace themselves had no chance. There stood a man in a black hood glowing radiantly. Jiro did not manage to see his face. All he could picture through the white glow was a strange black marking on his face.<o:p></o:p>
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After the deaths of another 300 men, the last 100 attempted to flee with their leader. Suddenly, time stopped, and all that moved was Jiro himself, and the mysterious man in the hood. “Who are you, O mysterious stranger?” Jiro questioned. “I am no ordinary man Jiro.” “How do you know my name?” “I am the spirit of the ancient sword you carry. Now Jiro, we have a lot to talk about.” It explained. “Why have you contacted me?” Jiro asked. “I have not contacted you Jiro, I and the sword have chosen you. You are a worthy wielder of the blade, and I wish to teach you the swords history and the secret of its magic. But you have much to learn. It will take a long time to master it. That is why I must take you else where. In a moment I will unfreeze time, but be ready to finish this battle when I do.” The spirit explained. “How shall I meet you again?” Jiro asked, as the man turned around. “Strike your sword into the ground while remembering me, and you will cast a spell called earthara. It will make the ground collapse underneath an opponent. Do this at the lucky red gate in Shikoku port to call me again, but do so only when you are ready for 40 years of training, and 20 years of torture.” And with that said, the mysterious spirit disappeared and time started to flow again.<o:p></o:p>
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Chapter 3 – Rising Wildfire<o:p></o:p>
Time was now flowing at its original pace again and Gan Ning had prepared his Ji Halberd and was prepared to face Jiro in a fight to the death. He quickly prepared himself for the fight and was clearly incredibly skilled in the art of war. His power was so immense that Jiro sensed a rare quality in him that few warriors had. The bloodlust of a black dragon. He knew that this would be a hard battle, and the truth was he did not know whether even the likes of Munetake had this quality. The black dragon’s bloodlust was a sign of pure hatred. It was said that if 2 powerful black dragons were to combine forces, only one of pure heart could over come them, and that’s assuming they had a sword of the ancient legends. Jiro reflected on this old legend and found many more questions he wished to ask the spirit.<o:p></o:p>
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“It’s time I took your head!” Gan Ning roared, as he pointed the Halberd at his enemy. The spear was strikingly sharp, and the tattoos all over the mans body were enough to strike fear in any opponent. He raised his spear up toward the sky before swiping it back down again only to miss Jiro by inches. Jiro jumped to the side and then pulled out a loaded pistol. It wasn’t the one he had bought from the port market but one which he had taken from the body of a bandit earlier. He attempted to shoot his enemy down with all 5 of the loaded bullets, but Ning jumped in the air to dodge the first two, the third one missing by about a foot, and knocked the last two away with his Halberd. He then finished off his incredible display by slamming the spear down at Jiro with full strength.<o:p></o:p>
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Jiro suffered no damage as he dodged the attack, but he was certainly in trouble as Ning burst out with extreme force, unleashing hundreds of attacks in a matter of seconds. With such incredible speed, technique and power, Jiro was indeed worried. He had no idea how to beat Ning and his speed… until… Suddenly, Ning spun around and made another powerful attack from the right side. It was so powerful that it knocked Jiro off his feet, but it also gave him an advantage… If he managed to stay alive until his next opportunity of course. Gan then tried to slash Jiro in mid air, but Jiro blocked it by kicking the blade of the halberd away with his steel boot. He landed on the ground after doing a back flip off the spear and quickly drew his sword.<o:p></o:p>
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The next wave of attacks went on and on, blocking and dodging, Jiro moved swiftly. Finally his opportunity came when Gan tried to spin around. He quickly kicked his opponent in the center of the back and threw a kunai knife in an attempt to finish him. The knife missed but Gan was on the ground and in a vulnerable place. “It’s time I took YOUR head!” Jiro roared. But Gan was quick to change plans and threw away his spear to draw his blade fan. “I am the lord of blades! I bring death to all that oppose me!” Gan yelled, as he drew out his cutlass pirate sword. “Now you will see me at full power!” Suddenly, Gan started glowing black, and a ring of fire built up around the two warriors as they prepared to kill one another. “I will show you the true bloodlust of a black dragon!” <o:p></o:p>
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Chapter 4 – The <st1:place><st1laceName>Black</st1laceName> <st1laceName>Dragon</st1laceName> <st1laceType>Falls</st1laceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p>
Jiro knew what was about to happen, so in preparation, he put on a rare charm called the flame of aura. It was a type of stone with the imitation of fire, kind of like amber. But it wasn’t an ordinary stone… It was a magical one. It was common knowledge among even the town’s people that certain stones could protect holders of certain types of damage, but nobody knew how and why. The flames of aura were known to protect the wearers or wielders from fire. It is for this reason that Jiro quickly placed it around his neck, as it was attached to a string in the form of a necklace. He knew that Gan was about to unleash an array of magical attacks, and that to put up such a great, strong, fire barrier, flames must have been a strong point for him.<o:p></o:p>
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Sure enough, Gan unleashed yet another group of attacks, but unlike with the halberd, this time he finished off his attack by blasting Jiro with fire. Jiro’s main thought was of how it could be possible for Gan to use such magic if he did not have a legendary sword, but that would have to come later. Gan was on the attack and Jiro was in trouble. Jiro slammed his sword into the ground, remembering the spirit of the wind sword, and as he was told, the earth broke from beneath Gan’s feet. Jiro believed this to be the end of the phoenix talon army… But he was wrong. Suddenly, flames exploded out of the hole he had created and there was Gan, just standing there, like it was nothing. He was fine! Unscratched!<o:p></o:p>
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Jiro was shocked… Just… utterly… shocked. He had used a spell which was intended to kill the foe with a single use and yet his opponent was unscratched. All he did was wipe off the dust from his legs! That’s it! “Is that the best you can do?” Gan asked. “How…?” “I am the great Gan Ning! You can’t kill me! Give up!” Gan yelled. “I… will never give up! No one can take this sword from me! It chose me! I won’t let you abuse its power!” Jiro said. Jiro then raised the Kaze Fenikkusu, and suddenly, wind blew out from the hole in the earth which he had created! It was so powerful that it blew his opponent off his feet, and it was equally as suddenly that Jiro realized the true purpose of the spell. The goal of the spell wasn’t to kill the enemy in one go, which it could also do to an enemy with little experience, but the purpose of the spell was actually to send an enemy airborne, thus leaving him vulnerable. Jiro then threw 3 kunai into the back of his opponent, resulting in severe bleeding. He had beaten his opponent, and now he had a few questions to ask.<o:p></o:p>
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“Ok Gan, I beat you. Now tell me, how did you cast those spells?” Jiro asked.<o:p></o:p>
“The answer is simple”<o:p></o:p>
“Well then?”<o:p></o:p>
“Foolish boy… the commanders of all the other armies you will face in your long, long struggle… They all have legendary swords of the ancients! The same as you!” Gan said.<o:p></o:p>
“But why are they after my sword if they have others?” Jiro asked.<o:p></o:p>
“Because if a single person has many in their possession, they would be the most powerful on earth.” “Of course, actual skill would still be needed…”<o:p></o:p>
“So… what elements are there? Of these swords? If you have fire and I have wind…” Jiro asked…<o:p></o:p>
“There are Fire which you may take, as you have beaten me, Wind which you possess, Water, Lightning, Earth, Metal, and poison. There is also an old tale about the swords of light and dark, but they have never been seen let alone used. The emperor, who owns both the lightning and metal ones, seems to believe in the myth… He believes they are buried under the castle itself.”<o:p></o:p>
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Chapter 5 – The Warrior of Virtue<o:p></o:p>
Now wielding both the fire and wind swords of legend, Jiro sought out the lucky red gate of the <st1:place>Shikoku</st1:place> port in order to find the spirit of the wind sword once more.<o:p></o:p>
When he arrived at the port town his first goal was to buy some food. He heard about a great restaurant from some of the locals called the <st1:place>Shikoku</st1:place> sea savior, and decided it sounded like a good place to eat. <o:p></o:p>
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In the diner he met a great samurai by the name of Mitsukechi Asamura and instantly felt a strong presence of honor, respect and power. He was a brilliant warrior and Jiro knew instantly that he would need a strong ally in order to complete his quest alive. Mitsukechi was a tall and strong man. He had the power of a dragon, the strength of an ox, the speed of a striking snake and a personality as pure as Tadakatsu Honda, the former warrior of the Tokugawa army. He was always calm, peaceful and confident. Even in the middle of a battle. Mitsukechi was a good man who always fought in full armour, so as to look presentable on the battle field in front of all who sought death. He would only fight for justice and friendship.<o:p></o:p>
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It turns out Mitsukechi had heard of Jiro from the townsfolk. He had heard of a lone samurai with but a sword, defeating 20 bandits, all armed with guns. It was probably an exaggerated version of the fight he had with the bandits when he saved the trader before the docks back at <st1:place>Honshu</st1:place>. The misleading villagers had told Mitsukechi that Jiro was like a demon on the battlefield, and that he could use magic. Mitsukechi drew his sword upon hearing Jiro’s name and with that, Jiro found himself in another tough position. Jiro tried his best to convince Mitsukechi of his pure intentions but Mitsukechi was too pure in himself not to try and help save peoples lives. Mitsukechi was straight to the point and within 15 minutes of fighting he had already left Jiro unarmed and injured. Swaying where he stood, holding his left arm, he bled… Mitsukechi then asked Jiro what he was doing in <st1:place>Shikoku</st1:place>. Jiro told Mitsukechi his story, and upon hearing the part where he defeated Gan Ning, Mitsukechi immediately apologized.<o:p></o:p>
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“Oh! That was you? I heard about that sword of his! So… There is more than one?”<o:p></o:p>
“Yes, there is. Mine is a wind element sword.”<o:p></o:p>
“But what does that mean for the people? They could all be in danger…”<o:p></o:p>
“That is what I’ve been trying to do… I wish to defeat the Daimyo and clan leaders in order to take the swords and destroy them. That way the people will remain unharmed. But to do this, I will need some men of my own. That is why I sought to find you.” <o:p></o:p>
Jiro explained. After a long chat, Mitsukechi decided to join Jiro in his quest to save the land from complete chaos. <o:p></o:p>
“I will accompany you on your journey, but first, you and I must go to <st1:City><st1:place>Takamatsu</st1:place></st1:City>. There is a ninja clan nearby known as the Kudo clan. Their leader has a sword. It is made out of metal like any other sword, but it has the ability to poison anyone who touches the blade. The poison is supposedly incurable. What if it is a sword like yours?”<o:p></o:p>
And so they set off for <st1:City><st1:place>Takamatsu</st1:place></st1:City>.<o:p></o:p>
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Along their journey they talked about their individual visions for the land, and Mitsukechi told of a land filled with peace, where all villagers below the rank of soldier were treated equally. He wished for a world where samurai and ninja could live together and appreciate each others individual talents. He told of a ninja of the past who worked along side Ieyasu Tokugawa and Tadakatsu Honda named Hanzo Hattori. He also told of a second ninja named Kotaro Fuma who worked against all sides of the age of civil war. His goal was to cause chaos, and prevent Mitsukechi’s ancestors from creating peace. Both Hanzo and Kotaro went missing suddenly one day, after the chaos was over and Ieyasu had won the land. Neither of them was ever seen again. Jiro thought this to be quite odd and mysterious. <o:p></o:p>
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Upon arriving in <st1:City><st1:place>Takamatsu</st1:place></st1:City>, Jiro decided to ask a local where he could find the mysterious ninja clan. Jiro soon found this to be a mistake, as the man turned out to be a ninja in disguise. He instantly pulled out his weapon and within seconds, there were about 15 of them surrounding him. Jiro drew his sword realizing that his enemies were experienced in the use of the Sai. He cast the Earth spell He had learned with the wind spirit and killed 5 of them instantly. It was then that Mitsukechi dropped from a 25 foot tree and slashed through the rest. “So you are experienced in Ninjutsu too…” Jiro said.<o:p></o:p>
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“Yes Jiro… I learnt in this very town, from this very academy.” Mitsukechi explained. “That’s how I knew so much about their leader…” <o:p></o:p>
Mitsukechi and Jiro walked through the town. At the same time, Mitsukechi told Jiro about how to spot a ninja. He explained that a newly qualified ninja would usually be nervous about their first missions, but that for a more experienced ninja, they would only be hidden amongst other soldiers. Not villagers. Jiro had only faced the small, new, nervous, pathetic ninjas. Jiro knew that he would soon be fighting with the real assassins. One thing he didn’t know was that the legend of the swords of light and darkness would become larger than life. It was just further down the path.<o:p></o:p>
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Once they had arrived at the ninja academy, Mitsukechi explained that to beat a ninja in their own base, you had to beat them at their own game. He then explained that his master would recognize his armour a mile away, plus the other ninjas would have already told him of the event prior. Mitsukechi devised a plan, in that Jiro would take his armour in order to trick the ninja master Kenzo. When Jiro walked in he would be surrounded by a massive group of ninja, only for Mitsukechi to enter through the roof. When Kenzo walked up to him he would do nothing but stare at him, with a gaze of rage. Then he would suddenly grab one of the ninja and cut right through him. It would be then that the real Mitsukechi would drop from the ceiling and place a Sai to his former master’s neck. Jiro’s main goal would be to slice up an escape route; While Mitsukechi would steal the sword in Kenzo’s possession and hold him hostage.<o:p></o:p>
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Chapter 6 – The Art of Ninjutsu<o:p></o:p>
As Jiro prepared for his grand entrance, he knew one thing… He only had one shot… one opportunity… And if he let it slip away… he would die, the country would fall into chaos and Mitsukechi would die along with him. He needed to do this right… It was to prevent the dawn of a new age of darkness and death. He had no army. His enemy did. He only had one strong ally. If his ally were to die so would he later in the quest. Failure meant the end of everything he had ever known. It wasn’t an option. He had to protect himself and cut an escape route for his partner.<o:p></o:p>
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He walked in to the castle of ninja, knowing he had to execute the plan right. As Mitsukechi predicted, the entrance instantly slammed shut as he continued to walk in, looking confident. All paranoid, chest sweaty, he simply kept walking forward in a straight line. No movement at all. Face covered with a black mask. All that was visible was his green eyes. He moved to the center of the castle, and as expected he was surrounded. He did not move, still facing straight ahead toward Kenzo. “I have come to ask a question, lord Kenzo.” He said. “What is the secret to that poisoned sword of yours?” Kenzo laughed at this. “Mitsukechi… you fool… You’ve met the samurai from the port… haven’t you?”<o:p></o:p>
Jiro did not move, knowing it would jeopardize the plan. “Foolish samurai was too scared to ask himself wasn’t he? Out of all the samurai, you’re the only good one.” “Why don’t you show me your skill? Defeat the ninja surrounding you and I’ll have to take your head myself!”<o:p></o:p>
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As the ninja drew their weapons, Jiro was forced to bring his hand to his own. He waited for the right moment… For that opportunity… Then, suddenly, one foolish ninja from his right jumped out only to be slashed in half. Jiro then charged toward the same direction and slashed his way through about 15 ninja. This forced the ninja to give up surrounding him completely and they now had him surrounded from 3 sides only. He was at the gate and knew that once Mitsukechi had played his part, the gate would be open and they could leave. Still, Mitsukechi would also have to find his own opportunity…<o:p></o:p>
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As Jiro fought on, Mitsukechi, now in the 2nd floor of the castle where all the weapons were stored, located his master’s short sword. As expected, it had a rather infectious purple glow. Mitsukechi knew instantly that he was right to have joined Jiro and to bring him to the castle. Mitsukechi took the sword and suddenly felt an urge of power… Then, as his eyes widened, he felt a pain in his heart, and he fell to his knees. His pulse was racing, and he felt more pain in his chest than ever before. He asked himself out loud, “What is this feeling…” as he faded out of reality…<o:p></o:p>
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“Mitsukechi! I am the poisonous spirit… My name is Kirgyo. Mitsukechi, you are not the chosen warrior for this sword… you are but the delivery unit I would imagine… If you do not give this sword to Jiro within 24 hours, you will be poisoned, and that pain you just felt will be nothing compared to what the toxin will do to your body. Go and kill your old master, and don’t forget to open the gate. Then, go train with Jiro. Once you are strong enough, there is a sword which you were destined to take. The water sword is located in the capital <st1:place>Kyushu</st1:place>. If you arrive there in time, you will be able to buy it from a trader. I think you will be very… Intrigued… By the spirit you shall encounter…”<o:p></o:p>
“But… H-How do I know this isn’t some… dream…”<o:p></o:p>
“It makes no difference… For as YOUR OWN inner spirit would say… All is but a dream… Within a dream…”<o:p></o:p>
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Meanwhile Jiro was still fighting through the many ninja that surrounded him. Still in full armour, pretending to be Mitsukechi, he slashed through all those who opposed him. He knew Mitsukechi would pull through and perform as originally planned… It was almost as if he had known him for a century even though he had only just met him. Jiro dropped low and started aiming for limbs rather than try to get a shot passed an enemy Sai, as that would likely end up bad. Jiro roared as he fought through the ninja ranks, just waiting for Mitsukechi.<o:p></o:p>
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Mitsukechi awoke still unsure of what the poison spirit was talking about. All he knew is it was about time for him to show up, so he quickly but silently ran down to the first floor and clung to the roof. Once he was behind Kenzo, he dropped down and placed his sword at the back of his neck. He ordered that Kenzo open the front and back gates. This left Jiro an escape route being the front gate, and it also gave Mitsukechi a chance to avoid all the ninja and escape through the back with Kenzo as a hostage.<o:p></o:p>
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As Jiro took off through the front gate, Mitsukechi took Kenzo through the back and into the forest. Jiro altered his course half way through the escape to find himself at a large boulder in front of another section of the same forest. The trees there were very large and the leaves were thick. The terrain was very rocky and difficult to navigate, not to mention the many vines hanging around and the snow. It could well be a very long time until he found Mitsukechi. He spent most of the time remembering the mysterious spirit of the sword he carried, and the lucky red gate at <st1:place>Shikoku</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p>
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Chapter 7 – Blood lines.<o:p></o:p>
Eventually, after a long walk, he came across a big cave. There was blood on the walls and Jiro could tell instantly by the chipped rock pieces and the sword on the ground near by that there was a fight there earlier. Jiro bravely stepped into the dark cave realizing that Mitsukechi could be in trouble. Once inside the cave he heard a strangely familiar voice. “So, number 17, you are finally here…” “Who are you?” Jiro asked, wondering where the voice was coming from. “I knew you would come by… but to think that you defeated Gan Ning… Number 12…” “Who are you?! What is this nonsense you speak of?” Jiro was getting annoyed now. Something about the numbers was irritating him… They were strangely familiar. “Just be glad I found you before Kotaro did.” Something about this name agitated him even more, and he soon found himself a nervous wreck.<o:p></o:p>
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Meanwhile, Mitsukechi had wandered into the woods with the prisoner and started to worry for Jiro. His senses told him something was wrong, and he soon began to worry. He knew he needed to keep Kenzo hostage so he did not go looking, but at the same time kept aware of his surroundings. He pulled out a fishing hook and started fishing in the nearby river. At the same time, he spoke with his former master. The first question was relevant to the sword. “So master, how did you get that sword?” Mitsukechi asked. Kenzo’s expression suddenly changed. “Mitsukechi… whatever you do, I’m your master… please listen to me… Don’t team up with Jiro. He’s dangerous…” Mitsukechi’s reaction was rather confused. “How did you know his name?” “Mitsukechi… All of us with the swords are part of an organization. Together we make up organization 17. There are 17 of us in total and we all teach our students to take our place. The idea is that we keep these powerful swords hidden from the many bad people in the world. Jiro is number 17. The numbers go by rank.” Mitsukechi looked puzzled by all this. <o:p></o:p>
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