Coming to a slow and unwilling halt, Takeshi heard the disgusting form of Sangetsu Hozuki take form behind him. It may have been the scent of blood and murder so boldly spread across his large form, or the fact that whenever he happened to come around there was a revolting stench like no other, but Takeshi was all too used to his filth when he had come around. His praise meant little to nothing, and it was not a secret that the son of the Fifth Mizukage had despised this relic of a cruel and horrific past that this village was working to remove for the last few decades. The outdated opinions of a man with no purpose other than senseless murder were quite useless, and when a hand was laid on his shoulder Takeshi almost wanted to see it sliced off. People like Sangetsu Hozuki didn’t belong in the world as it was anymore, but if he should do anything decent with his cruelness in his life it would see the Empress and her occupation completely destroyed. [b]“We’re not friends …don’t lay a hand on me again.”[/b] Takeshi warned, shrugging his shoulder and taking another step forward. Why his father allowed that animal to even hold a title he’d never understand. Looking back towards him drenched in blood and without any remorse on his face, Takeshi saw that there was no future for this man any longer. Only by murder could he feel anything, and no matter how much he begged for it the ‘old days’ would never return for him. As much as he hoped the Hidden Mist technique could erase him entirely, it seemed he’d need to count on the Empress to deal with someone like him before this all ended. A humbling was in order, one his father never bothered to give him personally. [b]“I surrendered the command of the rebellion in Kiri and you had taken it, only to casually come here knowing that we wouldn’t fail. Return to them, give them orders necessary to ensure the safety of our village.”[/b] Hating the history of his home, it was understandable that Takeshi have a deep loathing for everything Sangetsu stood for. The blood on his hands was likely larger than the span of this entire village, and he’d never make friends with someone who enjoyed a massacre like this. Returning his gaze elsewhere, Kotomi had been equally unimpressed with Sangetsu’s return and hadn’t bothered to acknowledge him much more. In the end he led the forces here, which meant Takeshi and Kotomi would be little more than consultants. Should Sangetsu ever fail in protecting the Mist and jeopardizing what the 4th and 5th Mizukage stood for, he’d find that this village had grown ill of anything referencing the bloody era of the past, and would lose support he might’ve still had from many of his peers. Kotomi was reading something closely, and by the time he joined at her side again she had blurted out what exactly she had obtained: A peace treaty. Takeshi’s surprise wasn’t as grand as his sisters; the ‘treaty’ could’ve been a ploy of some kind but other than that possibility she had taken much too long to bring about a ‘treaty’. The Empress’ call for peace was a laugh without being funny. To rob four of five villages of their leaders and slay thousands of people who wanted to live life without her looming over them only to ask for peace knowing that this wasn’t going to be over anytime soon? The Empress restored too much hatred into the world for it to be stamped out with words on a sheet of paper, and had effectively set back all that his father had tried to accomplish until his death. This wouldn’t be settled so easily, not by a long shot. [b]“Too late.”[/b] Takeshi muttered, standing back up from his leaning. [b]“She had her chance a long time ago to stop her madness. There’s too much to answer for …and I’m beyond words.”[/b] - The battle for Konoha’s individual freedom had raged on with countless men and women fighting for the sake of control over their own destiny. As far as Kaede could see, multiple soldiers of the Empire were getting cut down with minimal effort by the rebellious forces. Her Byakugan had read many actions all at once, but with her seal placed onto many of them she could also feel what they had gone through. A severe burn to the leg of one, narrowly avoiding getting burned to a crisp by fire ninjutsu. A painful pair of kunai striking the arms of another comrade just thirty feet beside her. Her group had been spared combat for the moment, but it wasn’t long until Natsumi had met with her own set of enemies and had broken off to engage them. One by one many had peeled off to engage in their own battles, all that remained of her escort combat wise was Dren of the Hyuga clan and Takeo himself. Expertly maintaining focus on her surroundings as well as channeling her strength upon the seals placed on her comrades, they would all find immediate relief to the wounds they had sustained, as well as the chakra they had expended. Tissue was being repaired almost as fast as it was torn, burns were being soothed, and for ninjutsu users they would find that their chakra wasn’t wearing thin anytime soon. Being a living, breathing battery to power the forces that backed her rendered Kaede a highly valued target in any battle, but the Hokage had been fully aware of that, as was Takeo. So she was forced to keep hidden for months, all for this moment. [b]“Kaede, stay close to Natsumi, keep each other safe!”[/b] Takeo urged the Angel of the Leaf, having yet to draw his blade. [b]“Wait, what will you do?”[/b] Kaede asked. [b]“I’m going for the heart of this fight, we’ll meet again shortly!”[/b] Takeo had seemed to vanish with how much quickly he picked up speed. Before Kaede could say much more, Konoha’s Red Crosswind had took off ahead into the thickest of the enemy in a reckless charge few could perform. [i]‘Good Luck.’[/i] Kaede had established a connection with Takeo prior, allowing her to keep track of his current health and position. He was moving farther ahead into the thick of it, but trusted that they’d see each other shortly. Coming to a stop on the strong limb of a free above Natsumi, Kaede looked to Dren Hyuga who was the one remaining to help back her up. Although the others as part of her escort were nearby, he was the only one within close earshot by now. [b]“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay. Just help the others!”[/b] so long as no one could identify her as the one who fueled a sizable amount of this attack, she shouldn’t be focused nearly as much as she would were they to know. There was a lot of blood and brutality surrounding her, and though she knew things would come to this some time ago she hoped it wouldn’t be dragged out. Focusing all her efforts on maintaining the link she shared with many of her comrades, Kaede would maintain the fighting strength of her allies. Clasping her hands together, a visible aura of chakra surrounded her, taking an increased effort to numb any pain as minor and moderate wounds would close and cool. The technique that Natsumi herself used was quickly refunded due to the close proximity they shared, and although Kaede didn’t expect her to move so quickly with killing, she was thankful that at least she ended things quickly. - [b]“Wh-what the hell’s with this freak!?”[/b] [b]“He’s not human!”[/b] Multiple soldiers who once stood their ground against Yukio were now second-guessing their chances against the rebellion’s offensive. One by one this beast had carved up their comrades and showed no signs of stopping, the blood he had accumulated coating his body. With that level of glee from such a situation, it seemed hopeless to go against such a powerful warrior. Thankfully there were those among the battlefield everywhere who had chosen to remain strong for those younger and much less vulnerable to the realities of conflict. Not all men and women were fearless and this was understandable in the face of people like this, but no matter how dire it looked each and every one of them had a duty. They were entrusted with maintaining watch over the Land of Fire, to maintain the peace, and the rebels now threatened to resume the war that had ceased half a year ago. [b]“Stand your ground, we’ll keep fighting as long as we have to. The Empress is counting on us!”[/b] Spoke a gruff, bearded man who looked well into his early forties. Dressed in light armor but no doubt a leader-type, he stared Yukio into the face knowing that it could mean his death. That menace could carve him up in the blink of an eye, but even so …he wouldn’t cower. He couldn’t. [i]Earth Release: Earth Flow River![/i] Performing the Tiger handseal, the ‘leader’ of the branch of soldiers that tried to contain Yukio had performed a jutsu that would appear below him and attempt to throw him off balance, making his reckless charge costly for him. It appeared his efforts had inspired some of the men and women by his side, as they had joined together to help put Yukio down. [i]Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet![/i] [i]Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet![/i] Utilizing the mud used to push Yukio back regardless of its effectiveness, the head of a dragon had appeared and released fast balls of mud towards him. Combined with the aid of another’s Fire Release technique, the balls of mud were much more deadly with fire surrounding them. Through it all, they’d continue when all appeared lost. - Colliding against the ground with a sore jaw, one of the Empress’ soldiers rubbed it, unsatisfied with how things were going with this girl and her shadow clones. He didn’t know anything about a ‘clan’ that was wiped out, but he did know that he’d pay her back for that blow she dealt him. Karela was in his sights, and in spite of how reckless it was he had gotten to his feet and reached into the small pack around his waist, retrieving two sets of kunai. The soldier gripped them tightly and grinned proudly, what he lacked in technique he made up for in guts. [b]“Hey, BITCH! EAT THIS!”[/b] Throwing both kunai towards the general area of Karela and her clones without jeopardizing the allies that were still alive, the kunai would come in contact with the ground below her and explode thanks to the explosive tags he had done his best to conceal until release. If lucky, the damage might've forced some of her clones to disappear. He had no way to tell which one was real, but if he could manage to even destroy one of her clones it improved the chances of his comrades at least a little. - Although the forces of the Empire were holding, there was no mistaking that it was only a matter of time until the rebels had decided things. Kenta Akimichi would be a fool to say he didn’t see this coming, and his only mistake was not telling Nikuya of the possibilities sooner. There was once a time where he rebelled against the Empress, but there was a single soul that had convinced him that while her ways were regrettably violent, it was only due to the fact that none had given her means of handling the state of the world in a different fashion. So on that day, the day where the combined might of Kirigakure and Konohagakure went against the Empress, Kenta had defected from the people he once called his allies. His family would know him as a traitor, the decision he made that day still choked him up. He’d have liked to see things differently, at least show his former friends that what the Empress was doing was a result of how the world really was. The Empress’ Hand had shown him a lot of possibilities and even spared his life, something he was eternally grateful for. Clutching a scroll in hand detailing the peace treaty offered, he turned towards the door of the center-most building surrounding the area and departed to join the men fighting and dying to see this world united. He might perish today, as would all of those who had worked together with him to forge a brighter future for their families and children, but he couldn’t let himself die for nothing. It would have to count …if only they would lend him their ears.