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The Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 9;
There we stood, the three of us. Bruce on my left with his nunchaku, Hamura on my right with his spear. By now we had already cleared two of the seven floors presented before us, but not without a few hinders on the way. After clearing the 1st Floor which was called the Temple of Great Training, we had already stumbled upon our very first challenging task yet, but thanks to Hamura and his ability however, we had been able to clear the Temple of the Raven without too much trouble. Then came the next floor as we were all now facing forward, eying the guardian of the 3rd Floor, the guardian of the Temple of the Tiger. He had made two copies of himself to compensate for our numbers, and the three of them now stood firmly before us, between us and the next floor which would take us one step closer to the top of the tower, to the top of the pagoda. The Game of Death was not a children's game, it was do or die. If we beat the opponent in front of us, we would advance to the next floor, but only then when the guardian had fallen could we move on. It was as simple as that, or was it? It was only a matter of time now before either one of them would make the first move...
The guardian stood in front of me, with both of his two copies standing steadfast on each of his sides ready for the inevitable battle that laid ahead. The real challenge was just about to begin, as this guy had to be really strong, and above all else, he had to be an expert at handling his two fighting-stick weapons, that much I knew for certain. I held the Master Sword firmly and upright in front of me, anticipating the first clash. Would I be able to finally prove myself a worthy wielder of the sword, like all the wielders had before me? All my training at the Sanada camp, all my training side-by-side with Yukimura... I couldn't falter now. I already knew that Bruce excelled at Taijutsu, at hand-to-hand combat, and I already knew that Hamura excelled at the art of Genjutsu, turning illusions into reality. But what about me? What were my strong points? Would I be able to live up to their level, to their expectations? I had to control my thoughts, of course I was prepared. Those hard weeks with the Grandmaster and the end of the long war had made me so. My only concern now was whether Bruce and Hamura would be able to comprehend the situation. The two previous floors hadn't really cost us too much energy, at least not in the fighting compartment. Even if the two of them had shown off their skills, it was still too early to really know if they had it in them to fight the real tough battles that obviously laid ahead. I knew there was a lot of potential in these two, that much I had realized by now, but what about fighting with weapons? Had they had any weapons training at all? I could only ponder but it would not take long before any questions I had would be answered. It was just then that things suddenly happened in the blink of an eye before me...
The copy of the guardian facing Bruce had slightly moved his right leg to the side and anticipating the first strike, Bruce leaped off at immense speed, so fast that I didn't even manage to catch it. One-hit KO!! Swinging his nunchaku at ridicules speed, Bruce hit the tip of his jaw head on and knocked the guardian so hard and high up in the air that he went straight into the ceiling above, almost knocking his head clean off in the process. In the next split second, his body crashed towards the ground again, and at the sound of this knockout, I turned to my right anticipating Hamura to also follow up on this sudden move. To my realization however, he had already clashed with the other copy of the guardian left standing. Why was I hesitating when Bruce and Hamura didn't even think twice about attacking? Maybe I had to question my own ability instead of theirs? My attention was then brought in front of me as a stick came swinging my way, then another. I quickly maneuvered around them both as I finally got my guard up to block a combined slash from the two of them. The guardian had come for me and in a quick motion too. I didn't manage to fend him off however before a combined attack from Bruce and Hamura saw an end to him. Hamura's spear pierced his chest, while Bruce's nunchaku knocked his head straight off and for real this time. If that wasn't enough, both of these actions happened at the same time!! These guys were deadly, coordinated and efficient, and I didn't even know what to say, I mean, I hadn't even begun to think of a move. In what was another fog of black smoke, the guardian and his two copies were gone. Just like that, the guardian of the 3rd Floor had been defeated. I was baffled... What did I even do to help them? Did they need my help at all? Holstering the Master Sword on my back, I could only shake my head in disappointment of my own action, or rather, my own lack of action. It was then that both Hamura and Bruce put their hands on each of my shoulders. 'We're in this together my friend.' Bruce casually said with a big grin on his face. 'There's more floors to clear so don't worry about it, your time will come.' Hamura added. Were they mocking me? A sigh followed by a grin – I couldn't help laugh. This was almost beyond my comprehension. Either way, the floor was cleared and moral was skyrocketing. It was time for the 4th Floor, the final floor of which our clan's powers would be matched, as Hamura had come to expect it. That had to be the floor where things finally began to spin out of control. We approached the stairway and before we knew it, we were at the 4th Floor, at the Temple of the Phoenix...
The guardian was as if already waiting us. Seated on the floor in a meditating position, his eyes finally opened as he then rose to his feet. We held our breath expecting this guy to be even more fierce that the others. No point in needless chit-chat here, he would probably charge head on, right? Not at all... Out of all the guardians so far, this guy seemed to be the most polite. Gently clapping his hands together, the guardian respectively bowed before us. None of us knew how to react. It was only when the guardian did speak that the three of us came to realize that this guardian was indeed unlike any of the others. 'Welcome gentlemen to the Temple of the Phoenix. I am its rightful guardian, Lady Fu...' The guardian was no "he" but in fact a "she," much to our amazement. 'A woman huh...' Bruce simply said. 'Guess we'll clear this floor in no time then.' He almost mockingly added. "Big mistake," I thought to myself. She was the guardian of the 4th Floor for a reason. It was no time underestimating anyone now even if she was a woman...
'You foul Bruce, don't let your guard down!' Hamura shouted out to him, almost batting him on the head as he did. Seeing this, a surprise reaction was made from the guardian in front of us. She giggled... She actually giggled... 'Are you laughing at me, huh?!' Bruce shouted out while raising his fist in the air. She couldn't stop as she continued laughing. Hamura was as puzzled as I. 'Wait, I thought you weren't real living beings?' He curiously asked. 'Don't let this appearance fool you boy, this is all part of the game...' Getting into a stance of sort, she suddenly meant business. Her laughter had stopped and the three of us shot up in the air as we all readied ourselves for combat. Of course, it was all just a game... 'I have to complement you for getting this far though as only one being before you have gotten passed me.' It got silent for a brief second, then a pressing questions surfaced from within me. 'Wait just a moment, the guardians at the second floor mentioned something about only one guy passing, does that mean-...' 'Yes... Not only did that guy pass the third and my floor as well, I heard rumors he made it to the very top itself.' 'No way?!' Bruce then added. 'Then again though, if he did I suppose we wouldn't be having these games anymore, ahahaha...' A strange yet curious thing that woman...
'What, you haven't gone to check?' Acting dumbstruck, Bruce asked the question on everyone's minds. 'Of course not. A guardian never leaves his or her floor. That's the rule of the game.' 'So if I was to sneak passed you and climb up the next staircase, you wouldn't foll-...' 'No one goes to the next floor before the previous floor has been cleared!!' Bruce was immediately cut off and with reason. This woman didn't mess around. There was only one way to the next floor and that was through her, not around. 'Now let me explain the rules of this floor before we begin.' She then stated. My attention was still at the staircase leading up to the next floor that like the previous ones, was not locked or blocked in any way. Maybe the final standing guardians had such confidence in themselves that they didn't need to block the next floors' access points? My attention however was quickly brought back to the guardian standing before me once more. 'This floor is protected by a special barrier that like the previous floor prevents the use of "magic" and the sort...' Once again this guardian like the one before had to be referring to the use of chakra. "What a bummer," I immediately thought, but I at least now finally understood why it was of such importance that I headed to the grandmaster to improve my Taijutsu, my hand-to-hand combating. She then continued; 'Unlike the previous floor's barrier however, you can't go down a level again if you feel like backing out, and neither are weapons allowed here.' Snapping her fingers, the barrier that up until now had been invisible suddenly gave off a glance of itself as a purple colored force-field of sorts suddenly covered the room around us before disappearing again. But not only that, both the nunchaku and the spear Bruce and Hamura had brought with them suddenly disappeared. In what was a sheer reaction of instincts, I quickly grabbed on to the hilt of the Master Sword and tried to pull it out of its scabbard but quickly realized that it was stuck like glue. At least it hadn't vanished like the rest of the weapons but I hadn't expected otherwise. It was a sacred blade for a reason, something in which the guardian reacted at. 'That weapon of yours isn't any weapon, is it? Well, at least you can't draw it before this floor is cleared...' At her own satisfaction, this woman seemed eager for this fight to begin despite her sudden need to explain things. Her hair color was black, her attire red. She had her hair neatly tied up to prevent any hair from getting in her way mid-battle, and her facial feature showed the face of a woman, or what was supposed to be one at least, probably around her late 40s. No wonder she called Bruce a kid earlier, this guardian or whatever she was had to be thousand of years old...
As I let go of the Master Sword's hilt, I then steered my focus back at her. Expecting the fight to begin, I was surprised to see that she still had things to explain. Time wasn't really a factor she cared much for I imagined. 'So which one of you will go first? A fight with all three of you at the same time would hardly be fair, don't you think?' Was she bluffing?! If anything, we couldn't afford to underestimate her! Sitting back and going one-on-one against her would be a foul's errand and exactly the thing she wanted us to do. 'How stupid do you think we are??' Bruce coldly noted. I was about to voice my agreement with him but Hamura beat me to it. Not in agreement however to my surprise. He of all people who probably were the wise one amongst us, what was he thinking? He said; 'Actually, she might have a point... Going all at once might actually get us nowhere. If you take a look at her, this guardian is much more agile than the rest of them have been so far. If we go at her at once, there's a slight chance we might just get in each others' way.' 'And you made that decision how?' Bruce asked. 'With your eyes??' He followed up. 'Precisely.' Hamura concurred. 'I've told you before Bruce, these eyes can see things beyond what the normal eye can.' At this statement, I decided to add something; 'But chakra is off limit, how are you able to-...' 'I read her the first thing we came here, before she activated the barrier.' Of course... And once more, I hadn't even noticed. Somehow, Hamura always seemed to be a step or two ahead of us and somehow it started annoying me. What was this sudden feeling of rivalry? 'To further my suggestion, why don't one of you two go first? I still need to fully recover after that Genjutsu I used on the second floor.' Taking a step back, Hamura was insisting that either Bruce or I went at her first. 'You're not even joking, are you cousin?' Bruce asked curiously. 'Well in that case, let me go first.' I boldly stated. Taking a step forward, I realized that it was my time to spring into action now. I couldn't rely on Hamura and Bruce to do all the job ahead of me. 'Are you sure?' Bruce added with a hint of sarcasm. Yet again this feeling of rivalry fell upon me, and I had just barely met them only a few hours ago...
Getting into position, I looked at the female guardian in front of me. This was it... 'So are you going to make the first move?' Raising her right hand out and turning the backside of it towards me, she took up a special stance as if readying herself to counter anything I had to throw at her. A grin formed on my face, then I leaped off. "Taijutsu? Not the slightest problem!" I thought to myself as our fists clashed. In the background, both Hamura and Bruce had sat down to meditate but not without both of them having at least one eye open to witness the fight. The guardian and I exchanged blows for what seemed like at least 20 or so minutes, but it was probably not more than five... 'Two minutes actually.' Bruce firmly yet tauntingly said. 'What?!' Barely dodging a blow to my face, I was surprised at this discovery but somehow I knew that it couldn't have been for a longer time. How did he even know what I was thinking? Did I say it out loud? I was already at my limit and I hadn't landed a single hit yet. Taijutsu wasn't my strongest card, far from it, but I had avoided getting hit myself until a hard felt uppercut hit my jaw like a hammer on a nail. Next thing I knew, I laid on the ground next to Hamura who had yet to turn his head and look at me. 'Seems like you lost this round...' The difference was, he didn't say it out loud. But how? 'Haven't you figured it out yet Hagoromo?' Suddenly Bruce's voice was heard. Was it telepathically? 'Yes.' Hamura's voice confirmed, and at the confirmation of this thought, Hamura then rose to his feet as he spoke. 'Most individuals within our clan are able to awaken their telepathically powers that are somehow connected to their "Sensing" ability.' 'Sensing ability?' I asked. 'Yes, we are both what we define as "Sensors" in our clan.' Bruce said. So that was how they were able to coordinate so well with each other, that was how they had caught on to my thoughts before. But this wasn't the first time I had encountered this ability...
Back when I was in the decisive fight of my life against my father, Nobunaga, I had already then sensed some strange indistinct chattering reaching out for me, which I later had found out came from my grandparents as I came upon their snowy palace up in the hills. I hadn't given it much thought back then but it all made sense. They had the sensing ability too, and they could talk telepathically as well. 'While I give you a moment to think about that, I should give this woman a dance.' Hamura then confidently said. Surely he meant a fight, something in which made the guardian laugh once more. 'A dance you say? Well pretty boy, let's see what you are made of. Anything better than that snob over there and I'm impressed.' Pointing at me, the guardian seemed to be in a good mood. Bruce then turned to me, still in his meditating position. 'Don't let it get to your head, Hagoromo. I'm certain Hamura won't fare any better than you. I might have underestimated this woman before, but I won't make that mistake again. Besides, Taijutsu isn't your strongest card, right?' I didn't even reply. Steering my attention back towards Hamura, I too watched as he squared off with the guardian, equally at first. It didn't take long however before he too began to get overpowered, something in which Bruce clearly had figured out the reason to. 'It's because he can't utilize chakra, and therefore he can't utilize his byakugan. His fighting style relies too much upon it.' He struck a fair point... But without chakra, and without being able to use any weapons, how were we supposed to beat this woman? We had come this far, only to be outsmarted and beaten by a woman? I didn't know whether to laugh or to pity myself, but then Bruce said something which caught my attention; 'In case you didn't get the message earlier, every member of the Otsutsuki clan regardless are able to awaken the power of sensing and telepathy. If we can somehow utilize it to overcome this woman, then we should be able to pull a fast one on her. However, awakening this ability takes time, and even if you are able to receive doesn't that automatically mean you can send.' What did he mean by that? Not even a second thought after this managed to reach my mind as Hamura almost came crashing into me. Getting back up to his knees, he was panting heavily shaking his head. 'No luck, ehh?' Bruce casually said. Hamura only nodded back at him. 'So are you guys done already?? I was hoping you boys would have more spark than this.' The guardian then asked, seemingly unaffected by the fighting so far. It was then that the meditation that Bruce had gone through would finally pay off. Opening both his eyes and meeting eye contact with the guardian, Bruce formed a grin on his face. In the next second, a massive force of energy began to flow out of his body, something which even surprised Hamura who almost took a step back. The guardian merely looked at him. Had she found a worthy opponent??
Standing up to his feet, Bruce was glowing in an intense green color. 'What is that??' Even Hamura couldn't help ask in which Bruce told him that this was a special technique he had worked on to create. 'I never was as gifted nor as skilled as you cousin, but I am not without my worth. This technique allows my body to extend beyond its normal limits without the use of chakra to influence it. Well, normally it would require chakra, but in order to perfect the technique, I've managed to utilize the first few stages without using chakra to open them. Normally, the muscles of the body can only use 20 per cent of their strength, but with this technique, the restrain on our muscles can be temporarily lifted in order to utilize 100 per cent of the muscles' strength! This was a secret technique I developed to one day rival you in battle, Hamura, but I might as well test it out now. I call it the 8th Gates Technique, and so far I'm able to open up the first 5 gates of the technique. Any further than that would not be without the risk of permanent damage...' There was no words to describe our shock and amazement, but both Hamura and I were somewhat relieved. After all, Bruce was the Taijutsu expert amongst us, so we had to rely on him to clear this stage for us without question. His green energy only intensified as he then suddenly leaped off. 'He's fast!' The guardian uttered as she threw up a block...
The fight raged on as the two fought evenly matched, but like Bruce had said, this was his secret technique, and it possessed more than one stage. 'Gate of Healing, open!' Bruce shouted out as both his powers and his speed increased. Still though, the guardian managed to keep up with him but at this stage, it was hard to pay attention to the action happening before us. The two of them moved at such speed that it was hard for the normal eye to grasp. Opening one gate at a time, Bruce had already opened what he called the Gate of Pain, which was the 4th Gate, and at this stage, the guardian begun struggling to keep up. One hit after the other he dealt, but she wouldn't go down that easily. 'The Gate of Limit, OPEN!!' Shouting out vigorously, Bruce's movement was now impossible to track. Just in a few seconds, he had moved all over the place dozen times over. A punch to the stomach, a kick to the back, a firmly placed uppercut followed by a kick mid-air... Bruce was on fire, and both Hamura and I could clearly see that this was a wild card. If it failed, we would be out of options. At this point, Bruce's skin had already turned red in the process of the body's increased speed and power. Kicking the guarding high up in the air, Bruce then grabbed a hold on to her neck as he began spinning in a forward motion, fast towards the ground. At what seemed to be his eight flip, he finally slammed the guardian hard into the ground as what seemed more like a punch nailed her hard into the floor. Backing off, Bruce panted heavily, barely being able to stand on his feet. Running over to him, Hamura caught on to him before he fell over and as he did, the two of them looked up to see the guardian struggling back up to her feet, still standing! 'Im-possible-...' Bruce uttered. Without thinking, I moved in to finish her off before she could counter but before I reached there, she then suddenly fell to her knees...
'I lost... Again.' She mumbled with a smile on her face. Was she happy? Running over to Hamura and Bruce who were now standing close to the staircase leading up to the next floor, we all watched as the guardian said her final words. 'You... Pass.' And with that, she too, like the others, vanished in a fog of black smoke. At the same time, the barrier around us crumbled as I immediately went to check if I could draw the Master Sword from my back and I could. This was final confirmation, the 4th Floor had been cleared, but just barely. Bruce was out of it, Hamura was still recovering... And we had still three floors to go. Would we make it? Deciding to take a short breather, we allowed Bruce to recover for what quite possibly was an hour. After that, he was ready to go and by merely staring at each other, we all gave the other a nod of confidence. Making it up the stairs, we found the guardian of the 5th Floor, the guardian of the Temple of the Dragon, waiting for us. Standing with his back turned towards us, he then slowly turned around as his face came into the light. This guy was unlike anything else. His skin was red with what seemed like black striped markings that reached across his forehead and down his chins, a black robe that covered his entire body, and a hood that covered the top of his face. Just who was this guy? 'Listen up!!' His voice roared like a vicious dragon. This was probably the one guy that would give us more trouble than we could ever have imagined. If Tadakatsu was tough, this guy was a bastard. Hamura then turned to us as he said; 'This guy possessed powers that goes beyond the border of our clan, I can feel it.' 'I can sense it too...' Bruce confirmed. 'We can't afford to underestimate this guy no matter what. We have to take him on together.' I concluded. And with that, the three of us charged head on, Bruce reached his right flank first, with Hamura coming in on the left and I from the front. About to do serious combined damage, we were all suddenly blown away in an instant as if he somehow managed to counter all our moves at once. Struggling back up, we were shocked. Then again, this certainly confirmed our beliefs. This guy was strong as heck...
'I hadn't finished talking... Who said you could begin this battle?' An angry yet somehow calm expression was shown on his face. I couldn't tell if that was because we moved in early or if that was his usual expression. He then continued. 'As you may figure, there are no limits on this floor! Why? Because it doesn't matter what you do, you will not pass this floor.' He was confident and probably with reason too. 'If you want to make a run for the stairs, be my guest. I can't promise that a fast paced kick won't blow you right back down again however. The next guardian is even stronger than me. Rush up prematurely and see an equally fast and deserving death be served. My advice? Beat me as a team, then go to the next floor.' He didn't seem to care much for any rules or not. Only thing he cared for was the fight. That was his primary concern, his primary programing. He was out for blood and he was damn strong. 'Begin!' In what seemed like nanoseconds, a huge wooden plank suddenly flew my way almost knocking me out cold instantly, but how and where did it come from? Turning their attention around to see if I was okay, both Hamura and Bruce lost their focus as the guardian quickly wiped the floors with them, sending Bruce crashing face first into a shelf with a lot of furniture that was standing there. Aiming for Hamura, the guardian's strike barely missed, much thanks to Hamura's byakugan which now was finally activated again. Fighting on, Hamura was quickly outmatched even with the byakugan activated as Bruce forced himself up and out of the rumble to go help him. The two of them delivered a groundbreaking combination that even the best coordinators in the world wouldn't dream of being able to pull off but even with their synchronization, they couldn't land a single hit. Not even a single hit...
In the next moment, both of them went flying as the guardian suddenly stood above me, pressing his feet down on the heavy wooden pillar that now laid on top of me. 'This is boring, sure you can't fight?' Those very words... I remember them even to this date. Those very words lit a spark in me that somehow rekindled all the chakra I possibly had wasted up until then. In the blink of an eye, the pillar on top of me shattered as the guardian went flying on his back before quickly rolling over and getting back up on his feet again. 'Oh??' He was somewhat impressed but not that much. Looking over at Hamura and Bruce who finally managed to scramble themselves over to my location, I immediately noticed that they did not look to be in good shape at all. The two were panting heavily as we looked at the guardian in front of us. 'Are you two okay?' I asked. 'Splendid, never been better.' Hamura sarcastically stated. Bruce didn't even bother coming up with a reply. 'How about you two take a rest and sit this one out?' Somehow I knew I could take on this guy even if he far outranked any opponent I had faced this far. Without the limits of earlier floors placed upon us, I knew I could use anything I had ever learned, and rely on everything in my possession. 'Are you crazy?!' Bruce uttered. 'You can't take him on alone!' Hamura concurred. 'Both of you have dealt with one floor each due to your special abilities within those specific fields. With everything allowed, this certainly is my field no matter how strong this guy is. I can take him...' I didn't want to sound bold or arrogant, but there was just this feeling inside of me that told me I could take him...
Silence filled the room for a brief moment before Bruce suddenly took a step back and sat down on the handrail of the previous staircase leading down to the floor below, crossing his arms together. Sighing deeply, Hamura then decided to do the same as they both gave me a nod. 'If you feel like you can take him, then go for it. I need a break anyways.' Hamura casually said. 'Well let's see how good you really are then Hagoromo.' Bruce followed up. They were right; I was the only one with enough stamina to face him. I could only hope that my hunch was a good one. If I was wrong, we would all be in trouble. 'Alone?? Are you kidding me??' Breaking out in laughter, the guardian didn't take me serious at all. A confident yet stern expression had formed on my face however. I was ready, the time had come to show the world what I could really do. The Game of Death had hit its Halfway Climax...
Author's Note:
1: What can I say about this chapter? Nothing really comes to mind xd Instead, let me hear your thoughts!
Edit: Just finished Chapter 10 in one sitting. Yep, in one freaking sitting from beginning to end xD Since I released this one 4 hours ago (as of this edit), I guess that means I finished a whole chapter in 4 hours, which ain't half bad if I must say so myself. Chapter 10 is almost the same size as chapter 8, so it's bigger than chapter 9. Release date unknown. Depends on when I finish chapter 11 I suppose.
3rd Edit (see editing reason for overview of edits): After talking to my good friend Fahad, I figured I would share the following fun fact with you guys as well knowing that none of you have read this chapter yet.
Fun Fact 1: The next chapter, chapter 10, was written in 4 hours straight, like I mentioned. It consists of 6550 words and 34590 letters (including spacing). Doing the math, I realized the following;
34590 letters/keystrokes divided by 4 (4 hours that it took to write the chapter) = 8647,5.
8647,5 divided by 60 (60 minutes an hour) = 144,125.
144,125 divided by 60 (60 seconds per minute) = 2,40...
This leads down to 2,40 strokes per second and 144,125 strokes per minute xD Don't know how much that is for a fun fact, but 2,40 strokes per second for 4 hours nonstop seems like a lot to me, especially considering toilet breaks and the like xd Taking a test on the net I found out I could do 250 letters a minute and 8 letters per second at top speed, which means my work rate was about 1/4-2/4 of my top speed for the duration of those 4 hours, from between 03.41 am - 07.45 am approximately... Seems like I write my best piece of work in the middle of the night, haha.
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The Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 9;
The Tower of Death Part 2;
Fist of Legend:
There we stood, the three of us. Bruce on my left with his nunchaku, Hamura on my right with his spear. By now we had already cleared two of the seven floors presented before us, but not without a few hinders on the way. After clearing the 1st Floor which was called the Temple of Great Training, we had already stumbled upon our very first challenging task yet, but thanks to Hamura and his ability however, we had been able to clear the Temple of the Raven without too much trouble. Then came the next floor as we were all now facing forward, eying the guardian of the 3rd Floor, the guardian of the Temple of the Tiger. He had made two copies of himself to compensate for our numbers, and the three of them now stood firmly before us, between us and the next floor which would take us one step closer to the top of the tower, to the top of the pagoda. The Game of Death was not a children's game, it was do or die. If we beat the opponent in front of us, we would advance to the next floor, but only then when the guardian had fallen could we move on. It was as simple as that, or was it? It was only a matter of time now before either one of them would make the first move...
The guardian stood in front of me, with both of his two copies standing steadfast on each of his sides ready for the inevitable battle that laid ahead. The real challenge was just about to begin, as this guy had to be really strong, and above all else, he had to be an expert at handling his two fighting-stick weapons, that much I knew for certain. I held the Master Sword firmly and upright in front of me, anticipating the first clash. Would I be able to finally prove myself a worthy wielder of the sword, like all the wielders had before me? All my training at the Sanada camp, all my training side-by-side with Yukimura... I couldn't falter now. I already knew that Bruce excelled at Taijutsu, at hand-to-hand combat, and I already knew that Hamura excelled at the art of Genjutsu, turning illusions into reality. But what about me? What were my strong points? Would I be able to live up to their level, to their expectations? I had to control my thoughts, of course I was prepared. Those hard weeks with the Grandmaster and the end of the long war had made me so. My only concern now was whether Bruce and Hamura would be able to comprehend the situation. The two previous floors hadn't really cost us too much energy, at least not in the fighting compartment. Even if the two of them had shown off their skills, it was still too early to really know if they had it in them to fight the real tough battles that obviously laid ahead. I knew there was a lot of potential in these two, that much I had realized by now, but what about fighting with weapons? Had they had any weapons training at all? I could only ponder but it would not take long before any questions I had would be answered. It was just then that things suddenly happened in the blink of an eye before me...
The copy of the guardian facing Bruce had slightly moved his right leg to the side and anticipating the first strike, Bruce leaped off at immense speed, so fast that I didn't even manage to catch it. One-hit KO!! Swinging his nunchaku at ridicules speed, Bruce hit the tip of his jaw head on and knocked the guardian so hard and high up in the air that he went straight into the ceiling above, almost knocking his head clean off in the process. In the next split second, his body crashed towards the ground again, and at the sound of this knockout, I turned to my right anticipating Hamura to also follow up on this sudden move. To my realization however, he had already clashed with the other copy of the guardian left standing. Why was I hesitating when Bruce and Hamura didn't even think twice about attacking? Maybe I had to question my own ability instead of theirs? My attention was then brought in front of me as a stick came swinging my way, then another. I quickly maneuvered around them both as I finally got my guard up to block a combined slash from the two of them. The guardian had come for me and in a quick motion too. I didn't manage to fend him off however before a combined attack from Bruce and Hamura saw an end to him. Hamura's spear pierced his chest, while Bruce's nunchaku knocked his head straight off and for real this time. If that wasn't enough, both of these actions happened at the same time!! These guys were deadly, coordinated and efficient, and I didn't even know what to say, I mean, I hadn't even begun to think of a move. In what was another fog of black smoke, the guardian and his two copies were gone. Just like that, the guardian of the 3rd Floor had been defeated. I was baffled... What did I even do to help them? Did they need my help at all? Holstering the Master Sword on my back, I could only shake my head in disappointment of my own action, or rather, my own lack of action. It was then that both Hamura and Bruce put their hands on each of my shoulders. 'We're in this together my friend.' Bruce casually said with a big grin on his face. 'There's more floors to clear so don't worry about it, your time will come.' Hamura added. Were they mocking me? A sigh followed by a grin – I couldn't help laugh. This was almost beyond my comprehension. Either way, the floor was cleared and moral was skyrocketing. It was time for the 4th Floor, the final floor of which our clan's powers would be matched, as Hamura had come to expect it. That had to be the floor where things finally began to spin out of control. We approached the stairway and before we knew it, we were at the 4th Floor, at the Temple of the Phoenix...
The guardian was as if already waiting us. Seated on the floor in a meditating position, his eyes finally opened as he then rose to his feet. We held our breath expecting this guy to be even more fierce that the others. No point in needless chit-chat here, he would probably charge head on, right? Not at all... Out of all the guardians so far, this guy seemed to be the most polite. Gently clapping his hands together, the guardian respectively bowed before us. None of us knew how to react. It was only when the guardian did speak that the three of us came to realize that this guardian was indeed unlike any of the others. 'Welcome gentlemen to the Temple of the Phoenix. I am its rightful guardian, Lady Fu...' The guardian was no "he" but in fact a "she," much to our amazement. 'A woman huh...' Bruce simply said. 'Guess we'll clear this floor in no time then.' He almost mockingly added. "Big mistake," I thought to myself. She was the guardian of the 4th Floor for a reason. It was no time underestimating anyone now even if she was a woman...
'You foul Bruce, don't let your guard down!' Hamura shouted out to him, almost batting him on the head as he did. Seeing this, a surprise reaction was made from the guardian in front of us. She giggled... She actually giggled... 'Are you laughing at me, huh?!' Bruce shouted out while raising his fist in the air. She couldn't stop as she continued laughing. Hamura was as puzzled as I. 'Wait, I thought you weren't real living beings?' He curiously asked. 'Don't let this appearance fool you boy, this is all part of the game...' Getting into a stance of sort, she suddenly meant business. Her laughter had stopped and the three of us shot up in the air as we all readied ourselves for combat. Of course, it was all just a game... 'I have to complement you for getting this far though as only one being before you have gotten passed me.' It got silent for a brief second, then a pressing questions surfaced from within me. 'Wait just a moment, the guardians at the second floor mentioned something about only one guy passing, does that mean-...' 'Yes... Not only did that guy pass the third and my floor as well, I heard rumors he made it to the very top itself.' 'No way?!' Bruce then added. 'Then again though, if he did I suppose we wouldn't be having these games anymore, ahahaha...' A strange yet curious thing that woman...
'What, you haven't gone to check?' Acting dumbstruck, Bruce asked the question on everyone's minds. 'Of course not. A guardian never leaves his or her floor. That's the rule of the game.' 'So if I was to sneak passed you and climb up the next staircase, you wouldn't foll-...' 'No one goes to the next floor before the previous floor has been cleared!!' Bruce was immediately cut off and with reason. This woman didn't mess around. There was only one way to the next floor and that was through her, not around. 'Now let me explain the rules of this floor before we begin.' She then stated. My attention was still at the staircase leading up to the next floor that like the previous ones, was not locked or blocked in any way. Maybe the final standing guardians had such confidence in themselves that they didn't need to block the next floors' access points? My attention however was quickly brought back to the guardian standing before me once more. 'This floor is protected by a special barrier that like the previous floor prevents the use of "magic" and the sort...' Once again this guardian like the one before had to be referring to the use of chakra. "What a bummer," I immediately thought, but I at least now finally understood why it was of such importance that I headed to the grandmaster to improve my Taijutsu, my hand-to-hand combating. She then continued; 'Unlike the previous floor's barrier however, you can't go down a level again if you feel like backing out, and neither are weapons allowed here.' Snapping her fingers, the barrier that up until now had been invisible suddenly gave off a glance of itself as a purple colored force-field of sorts suddenly covered the room around us before disappearing again. But not only that, both the nunchaku and the spear Bruce and Hamura had brought with them suddenly disappeared. In what was a sheer reaction of instincts, I quickly grabbed on to the hilt of the Master Sword and tried to pull it out of its scabbard but quickly realized that it was stuck like glue. At least it hadn't vanished like the rest of the weapons but I hadn't expected otherwise. It was a sacred blade for a reason, something in which the guardian reacted at. 'That weapon of yours isn't any weapon, is it? Well, at least you can't draw it before this floor is cleared...' At her own satisfaction, this woman seemed eager for this fight to begin despite her sudden need to explain things. Her hair color was black, her attire red. She had her hair neatly tied up to prevent any hair from getting in her way mid-battle, and her facial feature showed the face of a woman, or what was supposed to be one at least, probably around her late 40s. No wonder she called Bruce a kid earlier, this guardian or whatever she was had to be thousand of years old...
As I let go of the Master Sword's hilt, I then steered my focus back at her. Expecting the fight to begin, I was surprised to see that she still had things to explain. Time wasn't really a factor she cared much for I imagined. 'So which one of you will go first? A fight with all three of you at the same time would hardly be fair, don't you think?' Was she bluffing?! If anything, we couldn't afford to underestimate her! Sitting back and going one-on-one against her would be a foul's errand and exactly the thing she wanted us to do. 'How stupid do you think we are??' Bruce coldly noted. I was about to voice my agreement with him but Hamura beat me to it. Not in agreement however to my surprise. He of all people who probably were the wise one amongst us, what was he thinking? He said; 'Actually, she might have a point... Going all at once might actually get us nowhere. If you take a look at her, this guardian is much more agile than the rest of them have been so far. If we go at her at once, there's a slight chance we might just get in each others' way.' 'And you made that decision how?' Bruce asked. 'With your eyes??' He followed up. 'Precisely.' Hamura concurred. 'I've told you before Bruce, these eyes can see things beyond what the normal eye can.' At this statement, I decided to add something; 'But chakra is off limit, how are you able to-...' 'I read her the first thing we came here, before she activated the barrier.' Of course... And once more, I hadn't even noticed. Somehow, Hamura always seemed to be a step or two ahead of us and somehow it started annoying me. What was this sudden feeling of rivalry? 'To further my suggestion, why don't one of you two go first? I still need to fully recover after that Genjutsu I used on the second floor.' Taking a step back, Hamura was insisting that either Bruce or I went at her first. 'You're not even joking, are you cousin?' Bruce asked curiously. 'Well in that case, let me go first.' I boldly stated. Taking a step forward, I realized that it was my time to spring into action now. I couldn't rely on Hamura and Bruce to do all the job ahead of me. 'Are you sure?' Bruce added with a hint of sarcasm. Yet again this feeling of rivalry fell upon me, and I had just barely met them only a few hours ago...
Getting into position, I looked at the female guardian in front of me. This was it... 'So are you going to make the first move?' Raising her right hand out and turning the backside of it towards me, she took up a special stance as if readying herself to counter anything I had to throw at her. A grin formed on my face, then I leaped off. "Taijutsu? Not the slightest problem!" I thought to myself as our fists clashed. In the background, both Hamura and Bruce had sat down to meditate but not without both of them having at least one eye open to witness the fight. The guardian and I exchanged blows for what seemed like at least 20 or so minutes, but it was probably not more than five... 'Two minutes actually.' Bruce firmly yet tauntingly said. 'What?!' Barely dodging a blow to my face, I was surprised at this discovery but somehow I knew that it couldn't have been for a longer time. How did he even know what I was thinking? Did I say it out loud? I was already at my limit and I hadn't landed a single hit yet. Taijutsu wasn't my strongest card, far from it, but I had avoided getting hit myself until a hard felt uppercut hit my jaw like a hammer on a nail. Next thing I knew, I laid on the ground next to Hamura who had yet to turn his head and look at me. 'Seems like you lost this round...' The difference was, he didn't say it out loud. But how? 'Haven't you figured it out yet Hagoromo?' Suddenly Bruce's voice was heard. Was it telepathically? 'Yes.' Hamura's voice confirmed, and at the confirmation of this thought, Hamura then rose to his feet as he spoke. 'Most individuals within our clan are able to awaken their telepathically powers that are somehow connected to their "Sensing" ability.' 'Sensing ability?' I asked. 'Yes, we are both what we define as "Sensors" in our clan.' Bruce said. So that was how they were able to coordinate so well with each other, that was how they had caught on to my thoughts before. But this wasn't the first time I had encountered this ability...
Back when I was in the decisive fight of my life against my father, Nobunaga, I had already then sensed some strange indistinct chattering reaching out for me, which I later had found out came from my grandparents as I came upon their snowy palace up in the hills. I hadn't given it much thought back then but it all made sense. They had the sensing ability too, and they could talk telepathically as well. 'While I give you a moment to think about that, I should give this woman a dance.' Hamura then confidently said. Surely he meant a fight, something in which made the guardian laugh once more. 'A dance you say? Well pretty boy, let's see what you are made of. Anything better than that snob over there and I'm impressed.' Pointing at me, the guardian seemed to be in a good mood. Bruce then turned to me, still in his meditating position. 'Don't let it get to your head, Hagoromo. I'm certain Hamura won't fare any better than you. I might have underestimated this woman before, but I won't make that mistake again. Besides, Taijutsu isn't your strongest card, right?' I didn't even reply. Steering my attention back towards Hamura, I too watched as he squared off with the guardian, equally at first. It didn't take long however before he too began to get overpowered, something in which Bruce clearly had figured out the reason to. 'It's because he can't utilize chakra, and therefore he can't utilize his byakugan. His fighting style relies too much upon it.' He struck a fair point... But without chakra, and without being able to use any weapons, how were we supposed to beat this woman? We had come this far, only to be outsmarted and beaten by a woman? I didn't know whether to laugh or to pity myself, but then Bruce said something which caught my attention; 'In case you didn't get the message earlier, every member of the Otsutsuki clan regardless are able to awaken the power of sensing and telepathy. If we can somehow utilize it to overcome this woman, then we should be able to pull a fast one on her. However, awakening this ability takes time, and even if you are able to receive doesn't that automatically mean you can send.' What did he mean by that? Not even a second thought after this managed to reach my mind as Hamura almost came crashing into me. Getting back up to his knees, he was panting heavily shaking his head. 'No luck, ehh?' Bruce casually said. Hamura only nodded back at him. 'So are you guys done already?? I was hoping you boys would have more spark than this.' The guardian then asked, seemingly unaffected by the fighting so far. It was then that the meditation that Bruce had gone through would finally pay off. Opening both his eyes and meeting eye contact with the guardian, Bruce formed a grin on his face. In the next second, a massive force of energy began to flow out of his body, something which even surprised Hamura who almost took a step back. The guardian merely looked at him. Had she found a worthy opponent??
Standing up to his feet, Bruce was glowing in an intense green color. 'What is that??' Even Hamura couldn't help ask in which Bruce told him that this was a special technique he had worked on to create. 'I never was as gifted nor as skilled as you cousin, but I am not without my worth. This technique allows my body to extend beyond its normal limits without the use of chakra to influence it. Well, normally it would require chakra, but in order to perfect the technique, I've managed to utilize the first few stages without using chakra to open them. Normally, the muscles of the body can only use 20 per cent of their strength, but with this technique, the restrain on our muscles can be temporarily lifted in order to utilize 100 per cent of the muscles' strength! This was a secret technique I developed to one day rival you in battle, Hamura, but I might as well test it out now. I call it the 8th Gates Technique, and so far I'm able to open up the first 5 gates of the technique. Any further than that would not be without the risk of permanent damage...' There was no words to describe our shock and amazement, but both Hamura and I were somewhat relieved. After all, Bruce was the Taijutsu expert amongst us, so we had to rely on him to clear this stage for us without question. His green energy only intensified as he then suddenly leaped off. 'He's fast!' The guardian uttered as she threw up a block...
The fight raged on as the two fought evenly matched, but like Bruce had said, this was his secret technique, and it possessed more than one stage. 'Gate of Healing, open!' Bruce shouted out as both his powers and his speed increased. Still though, the guardian managed to keep up with him but at this stage, it was hard to pay attention to the action happening before us. The two of them moved at such speed that it was hard for the normal eye to grasp. Opening one gate at a time, Bruce had already opened what he called the Gate of Pain, which was the 4th Gate, and at this stage, the guardian begun struggling to keep up. One hit after the other he dealt, but she wouldn't go down that easily. 'The Gate of Limit, OPEN!!' Shouting out vigorously, Bruce's movement was now impossible to track. Just in a few seconds, he had moved all over the place dozen times over. A punch to the stomach, a kick to the back, a firmly placed uppercut followed by a kick mid-air... Bruce was on fire, and both Hamura and I could clearly see that this was a wild card. If it failed, we would be out of options. At this point, Bruce's skin had already turned red in the process of the body's increased speed and power. Kicking the guarding high up in the air, Bruce then grabbed a hold on to her neck as he began spinning in a forward motion, fast towards the ground. At what seemed to be his eight flip, he finally slammed the guardian hard into the ground as what seemed more like a punch nailed her hard into the floor. Backing off, Bruce panted heavily, barely being able to stand on his feet. Running over to him, Hamura caught on to him before he fell over and as he did, the two of them looked up to see the guardian struggling back up to her feet, still standing! 'Im-possible-...' Bruce uttered. Without thinking, I moved in to finish her off before she could counter but before I reached there, she then suddenly fell to her knees...
'I lost... Again.' She mumbled with a smile on her face. Was she happy? Running over to Hamura and Bruce who were now standing close to the staircase leading up to the next floor, we all watched as the guardian said her final words. 'You... Pass.' And with that, she too, like the others, vanished in a fog of black smoke. At the same time, the barrier around us crumbled as I immediately went to check if I could draw the Master Sword from my back and I could. This was final confirmation, the 4th Floor had been cleared, but just barely. Bruce was out of it, Hamura was still recovering... And we had still three floors to go. Would we make it? Deciding to take a short breather, we allowed Bruce to recover for what quite possibly was an hour. After that, he was ready to go and by merely staring at each other, we all gave the other a nod of confidence. Making it up the stairs, we found the guardian of the 5th Floor, the guardian of the Temple of the Dragon, waiting for us. Standing with his back turned towards us, he then slowly turned around as his face came into the light. This guy was unlike anything else. His skin was red with what seemed like black striped markings that reached across his forehead and down his chins, a black robe that covered his entire body, and a hood that covered the top of his face. Just who was this guy? 'Listen up!!' His voice roared like a vicious dragon. This was probably the one guy that would give us more trouble than we could ever have imagined. If Tadakatsu was tough, this guy was a bastard. Hamura then turned to us as he said; 'This guy possessed powers that goes beyond the border of our clan, I can feel it.' 'I can sense it too...' Bruce confirmed. 'We can't afford to underestimate this guy no matter what. We have to take him on together.' I concluded. And with that, the three of us charged head on, Bruce reached his right flank first, with Hamura coming in on the left and I from the front. About to do serious combined damage, we were all suddenly blown away in an instant as if he somehow managed to counter all our moves at once. Struggling back up, we were shocked. Then again, this certainly confirmed our beliefs. This guy was strong as heck...
'I hadn't finished talking... Who said you could begin this battle?' An angry yet somehow calm expression was shown on his face. I couldn't tell if that was because we moved in early or if that was his usual expression. He then continued. 'As you may figure, there are no limits on this floor! Why? Because it doesn't matter what you do, you will not pass this floor.' He was confident and probably with reason too. 'If you want to make a run for the stairs, be my guest. I can't promise that a fast paced kick won't blow you right back down again however. The next guardian is even stronger than me. Rush up prematurely and see an equally fast and deserving death be served. My advice? Beat me as a team, then go to the next floor.' He didn't seem to care much for any rules or not. Only thing he cared for was the fight. That was his primary concern, his primary programing. He was out for blood and he was damn strong. 'Begin!' In what seemed like nanoseconds, a huge wooden plank suddenly flew my way almost knocking me out cold instantly, but how and where did it come from? Turning their attention around to see if I was okay, both Hamura and Bruce lost their focus as the guardian quickly wiped the floors with them, sending Bruce crashing face first into a shelf with a lot of furniture that was standing there. Aiming for Hamura, the guardian's strike barely missed, much thanks to Hamura's byakugan which now was finally activated again. Fighting on, Hamura was quickly outmatched even with the byakugan activated as Bruce forced himself up and out of the rumble to go help him. The two of them delivered a groundbreaking combination that even the best coordinators in the world wouldn't dream of being able to pull off but even with their synchronization, they couldn't land a single hit. Not even a single hit...
In the next moment, both of them went flying as the guardian suddenly stood above me, pressing his feet down on the heavy wooden pillar that now laid on top of me. 'This is boring, sure you can't fight?' Those very words... I remember them even to this date. Those very words lit a spark in me that somehow rekindled all the chakra I possibly had wasted up until then. In the blink of an eye, the pillar on top of me shattered as the guardian went flying on his back before quickly rolling over and getting back up on his feet again. 'Oh??' He was somewhat impressed but not that much. Looking over at Hamura and Bruce who finally managed to scramble themselves over to my location, I immediately noticed that they did not look to be in good shape at all. The two were panting heavily as we looked at the guardian in front of us. 'Are you two okay?' I asked. 'Splendid, never been better.' Hamura sarcastically stated. Bruce didn't even bother coming up with a reply. 'How about you two take a rest and sit this one out?' Somehow I knew I could take on this guy even if he far outranked any opponent I had faced this far. Without the limits of earlier floors placed upon us, I knew I could use anything I had ever learned, and rely on everything in my possession. 'Are you crazy?!' Bruce uttered. 'You can't take him on alone!' Hamura concurred. 'Both of you have dealt with one floor each due to your special abilities within those specific fields. With everything allowed, this certainly is my field no matter how strong this guy is. I can take him...' I didn't want to sound bold or arrogant, but there was just this feeling inside of me that told me I could take him...
Silence filled the room for a brief moment before Bruce suddenly took a step back and sat down on the handrail of the previous staircase leading down to the floor below, crossing his arms together. Sighing deeply, Hamura then decided to do the same as they both gave me a nod. 'If you feel like you can take him, then go for it. I need a break anyways.' Hamura casually said. 'Well let's see how good you really are then Hagoromo.' Bruce followed up. They were right; I was the only one with enough stamina to face him. I could only hope that my hunch was a good one. If I was wrong, we would all be in trouble. 'Alone?? Are you kidding me??' Breaking out in laughter, the guardian didn't take me serious at all. A confident yet stern expression had formed on my face however. I was ready, the time had come to show the world what I could really do. The Game of Death had hit its Halfway Climax...
~ End of Chapter 9 ~
Author's Note:
1: What can I say about this chapter? Nothing really comes to mind xd Instead, let me hear your thoughts!
Edit: Just finished Chapter 10 in one sitting. Yep, in one freaking sitting from beginning to end xD Since I released this one 4 hours ago (as of this edit), I guess that means I finished a whole chapter in 4 hours, which ain't half bad if I must say so myself. Chapter 10 is almost the same size as chapter 8, so it's bigger than chapter 9. Release date unknown. Depends on when I finish chapter 11 I suppose.
3rd Edit (see editing reason for overview of edits): After talking to my good friend Fahad, I figured I would share the following fun fact with you guys as well knowing that none of you have read this chapter yet.
Fun Fact 1: The next chapter, chapter 10, was written in 4 hours straight, like I mentioned. It consists of 6550 words and 34590 letters (including spacing). Doing the math, I realized the following;
34590 letters/keystrokes divided by 4 (4 hours that it took to write the chapter) = 8647,5.
8647,5 divided by 60 (60 minutes an hour) = 144,125.
144,125 divided by 60 (60 seconds per minute) = 2,40...
This leads down to 2,40 strokes per second and 144,125 strokes per minute xD Don't know how much that is for a fun fact, but 2,40 strokes per second for 4 hours nonstop seems like a lot to me, especially considering toilet breaks and the like xd Taking a test on the net I found out I could do 250 letters a minute and 8 letters per second at top speed, which means my work rate was about 1/4-2/4 of my top speed for the duration of those 4 hours, from between 03.41 am - 07.45 am approximately... Seems like I write my best piece of work in the middle of the night, haha.
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