Kenta could feel the concentration from Natsumi’s stare; He knew her almost all her entire life and, much like his former friend Takeo, he had taken pleasure in seeing her grow up from a bouncing baby into a fine kunoichi who would make both her parents and her grandparents proud. In the distant past he had used to give her rides on his back, or allowed her to jump on his expanded hands like a makeshift trampoline. For birthdays it was extra money he made on assignments, and a little extra batch of sweets he managed to sneak to her room without Lord Hokage and his wife noticing; Takeo had always known, but that was a secret they kept together. It went without saying that while he was now meant to be her enemy, the stare he returned to her wasn’t focused, but pitiful. [b]“…You’re becoming as strong as we hoped you would, Natsumi.”[/b] Takeo looked from his granddaughter back to Kenta; this wasn’t a stalling tactic of any kind, the man was simply finding it difficult to put things in a way they could understand and fighting the one fear he had, that they wouldn’t understand. Takeo was once his ally and friend, now his enemy, and even in the face of this traitor he couldn’t draw his blade on him like this, not in front of Natsumi. A shinobi must learn the realities of the duty they had, and that often meant taking life or allowing it to happen for the betterment of the lives they worked to protect. That was a lesson Ryozan had not learned well enough, and it would prove detrimental if Natsumi neglected to understand how they have operated for so many decades. The shinobi of Konoha weren’t murderers without just cause, not like the old days of the Bloody Misty. Under proper leadership they had learned when a blade must be stayed, yet that was only the partial reason he was giving Kenta time to find his words. [b]“A little longer, please. I know I don’t have the right to ask but ...six months isn’t enough time to explain why I had left you all behind.”[/b] Kenta trusted Takeo would stay his blade, and hoped that Natsumi wasn’t too disgusted by him to try and slice his head from his shoulders with his back now turned. There was something out in the perimeter making its way closer, and when you witnessed Natsumi grow up it was only natural you were there to see her best friend too. The warmth was unmistakable, and even in his seasoned age he could make her out from the distance. Kaede … - The standstill between both forces was growing uneasy for both sides; to stare into the face of someone who you were meant to defeat for so long had brought anxiety through ranks of both the rebels and the imperials. Kaede moving by her own comrades had caught their attention, and they had instinctively huddled in a little closer around her to keep her protected, uncertain of why she was exposing herself in front of the enemy. Finally she stood face to face with over several men and women who were staring with curiosity, but not lowering the guards they maintained. Were it not for this escort now joined by Katsu without a word, Kaede wagered she could request to be let by. The confrontation with the woman merely a minute ago had shown that the small party that accompanied her were not quite capable of remaining calm. The closest few soldiers in front of her had instinctively taken a small step backwards, recognizing the famed Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, but likely not recognizing her in general. This was an advantage she didn’t need right now, and judging from how worried they still appeared on their faces there were those among them who looked to her with hesitation. She stood out not because she had stepped forward in this standstill, but because she had done so unarmed and had the appearance of one who didn’t intend to battle if she could help it. [b]“Let them pass!”[/b] the familiar voice of Kenta roared in the distance, causing the soldiers to part hesitantly, exposing part of their defensive line as ordered. Kaede quietly moved through the line of Imperial soldiers, eyes on her and the few that had stuck so close to her. There was curiosity to why Kenta was allowing her by, but supposed that history with the people of the village might’ve been the root cause. It didn’t take long for her to casually make her way through the human blockade and proceed to Kenta, Natsumi, and Takeo. From here she could smell the scent of smoke from the nearby barracks that had housed so many soldiers, and though things looked bleak for Kenta Akimichi, he still had the strength to remain here and face them. That was bravery few men and women seemed to have any more. Some things were much worse than death. [b]“Kenta…”[/b] Kaede began softly, relaxing her Byakugan once again in the hopes that this confrontation would be diffused as well. If he wanted to battle, he’d have been fighting by now, and obviously there was something else he was attempting by standing here. [b]“I didn’t want to believe you walked away from us. What drove you to this?”[/b] [b]“The idea of a better world than the one we’ve lived in.”[/b] Kenta had begun almost instantly, the words coming easier now than ever before. It seemed that the unwillingness to fight a former friend had encouraged him to begin, at last, explaining why this had to be. [b]“I understand why Konoha despises the Empire, and the methods they’ve used have been beyond questionable …but-“[/b] he shifted over to Takeo and Natsumi behind him, thinking back to a previous time where they were younger and able to laugh together with him. [b]“If we were to just listen to what the Empress could promise, this might have all been avoided a long time ago. Tell them about the scroll, Takeo.”[/b] Takeo held up the folded scroll in hand, allowing them to see the special insignia that carried a white and red color, white as the primary. This was highly different from the standard blue-sealed scrolls used to pass on other messages, and it frequently meant that the words in the scroll would come down from the very top; this was from the Empress herself. [b]“In a nutshell, the Empress intends to loosen the noose she holds around the world’s neck seeing as we won’t bow to her. All shinobi can choose to serve the Empire when they graduate and enforce the laws themselves, those forced into having jobs can choose not to have them at the cost of being unable to pay for a special tax should you not hold a job. The nations of the world will also be united under a single government …more than likely with her at the head.” [/b]Takeo hated to repeat the terms the Empress had given them, finding things no better than before. Under the guise of ‘peace’, this would mean the rebels would still not have independency from her empire, and should they agree they would still be the ones running things. It was insulting for her to believe that these were reasonable whatsoever. [b]“In other words there is little change that benefits our cause, but it allows her to win this war and lose nothing in the process. I see no benefit for us.”[/b] [b]“She wants it to end.”[/b] Kaede spoke, silently thankful that the idea of peace can return if only they would work at it. Takeo still commanded the rebellion, and she believed that they needed him to display strength and tact through this ongoing fight, but she had considered that very carefully. ‘Loosening the noose’ meant that this was a step in the right direction; the one in charge of all this was still unwilling to release the world in its entirely and allow it to make its own decisions but she no longer wanted to fight. This meant that she was either seeing the error of her ways, or that she was taking them seriously even after her last victory. [b]“The terms she offer are …wrong, but this means that there is a chance for us to find a resolution that doesn’t involve more death.”[/b] [b]“And I respectfully disagree. Before this ends there will be more death and heartbreak, but that was what she had forced us to cope with when she started this war against the entire world. A proper ‘step’ is surrendering herself to the Land of Fire and Water, and allowing us to judge her.”[/b] [b]“You mean kill her?”[/b] Kenta asked bitterly. [b][i]“Judge her.”[/b][/i] Takeo repeated, shrugging his shoulders after the statement. [b]“Although death seems more than fair when it comes to her method of handling disagreements. If execution is demanded, then it’s demanded …but we’ll be fairer than she ever was, and she can look Yuna and her children in the eye to beg for forgiveness.” [/b] Kenta knew well that Takeo had led the squad that groomed Kenji into the Hokage he was today, with his daughter Chizuma becoming his bride. Considering the severe blow dealt to Kirigakure half a year ago, he found it hard to defend the past actions of the Empress. [b]“The Mizukage’s death is regrettable, and I accept that she hasn’t done well in her goals. I think that what she’s bringing to this world is stability it desperately needed after so long. Order we as a single nation couldn’t provide to the entire world.”[/b] Kenta believed that winning him over was impossible, much less his daughter and the others. Unlike the man that convinced him, Kenta did question the means in which the Empress got things done. He reached into his back pouch and retrieved something in his hand, well concealed. [b]“I know I must be wasting my time with such a weak argument, and I never expected anyone to agree with me fully. As long as I could put the hope of a united world, a peaceful world, into the minds of at least one of you …I can say I did my best.”[/b] Kaede had obviously been one, but he was uncertain about the others. Kenta knew of Katsu’s past, but very little about the other two that accompanied the Leaf’s Angel. Looking down at his balled fist, the sub commander thought long and hard about his options. To his clan and his village he was a traitor, written in the history books as a man who turned his back on everything he loved and swore to uphold. Drawing a deep breath within his lungs, the last hurdle to the Land of Fire’s freedom had quietly said goodbye in silence. [b]“This isn’t how I wanted things to be.”[/b] Takeo had a suspicion that Kenta had one last means of helping his village and his clan out, and the stare of a broken man to a balled fist had shown his old friend that the resolution he was looking towards didn’t intend his survival. The commander of the rebellion forces would do his ex-comrade one last service, and not intervene in this. Looking to his granddaughter, she may not understand it yet, but it would all make sense to them in time. [b]“…Do what you have to do. All of you.”[/b] Vanishing from the vicinity with the peace treaty in hand, Takeo had shockingly left Kenta alone with the others, opting to not see what happened next. Right now, the Hokage needed to hear this news before it became widespread. [b]“Kenta, is there nothing we could say to convince you to end this?”[/b] Kaede had found a moment of confusion with Takeo leaving them like this. Her faith in him as a leader was not in question, she had only suspected that he did not have it in him to face his old friend like this. Kenta Akimichi was not a cruel man, he was jolly and typically filled with joy. It was rare to see him without a smile on his face, which meant that this was a time where there was nothing good to come out of any of this. He never missed a birthday party for Natsumi, and when the pair had been young he had always carried them around and played. With someone like that Kaede could be more than an heir to a noble clan, and could be a kid. [b]“I’ve made my decision.”[/b] Tossing what appeared to be a round green pill into his mouth, chewing on it quickly. Kaede had registered a fraction too late what he had decided to ingest, and within that fraction Kenta had allowed his chakra to explode all around him. Kaede was knocked back immediately, thrown to the ground several feet away as the impressive chakra of Kenta flowed around him. The green Spinach Pill would guarantee that his power grow considerable at an eventual cost. His life. The explosion of power had brought the standstill between rebel and empire to a raging start once more, and Kenta himself turned and began to charge towards the grounded Kaede, the chakra within his right fist causing it to expand. This action would solidify his status as an enemy, and would ensure that none hold back. Even now as Kaede try to recover from being thrown backwards, he could see the little girl he had spoiled as much as he did Natsumi. The little girl that had never done him any wrong. The little girl that could [i]do[/i] no wrong. The battle would continue one final time… and he ensured it would only end in one way.