AGE OF SHADOWS (war at dawn)

Code 4 were leaping through trees, and they were moving pretty fast, Hayate was positioned at the front with Sora at the rear, Shinokaze at the right and Shinra was at the left, Kaguya was at the middle.

"(Man, when are we going to have a break, he turned a four days journey into just a day and a night, and now it's almost dawn, I'm feeling a bit exhausted)", sora complained.

Looking at his team mates he could tell how exhausted they were, yet they keep pushing forward.

" (And come to think of it, the formation Hayate sensei set is still in place, placing himself in the front in case a sudden attack sprung up, he will be there to face off with them, giving me time to summon any of my beast, Kaguya being a medic is in the middle, under our protection, this is because she's one of our top priority of survival, either Shinra or Shinokaze can serve as support to Hayate sensei or myself in case the enemies come from behind, it's a pretty smart one, but they always have to create time for my summoning, poor me)", *Huff* Sora sigh.

After traveling for a few more hours and the sun was up, Hayate raised his hand and signal the others, they all dropped to the ground except for Shinra who ran into a tree.

*Ah!* He fell off the tree and hit the ground, his eyes were spinning around.

"(This kid is too much to handle)", Hayate covered his face.

"You need to stop using those dumb signs and just speak you know?", Shinra glare at the kōjin, they pushed their hood off their head and pulled their lower mask down.

"We're already at our destination", Hayate announced, "but we have to wait till nightfall before our boat set sail, so eat something and take a break".

"Finally", Sora fall on his ass.

"Yeah!", Shinra jump in excitement and brought out a can food from his backpack, before he could open it Hayate swat it from him , "hey! That's my food".

"Shinra come with me ", Hayate said and started walking away.

" What!? ", Shinra yelled in frustration and annoyance.

" Sensei, where are you going with Shinra ? ", Kaguya ask quietly.

" It's a secret, for now ", Hayate said with a smile.

*Ah!!!!* " (His he trying to go kill me in a place where nobody can see us or what)".

" And we'll be back before nightfall".

"(Now he says we'll be back before nightfall?)", Shinra frown childishly.

"Sora, I'm leaving you in charge in case anything happen, Shinra let go?".

*Uhh* Sora look at Hayate who was already walking away, "(leaving me in charge, man this is crazy)", Sora frown .

"Hey wait up alright?", Shinra went after the kōjin.

*Um* Sora look up at Shinokaze who was glaring dagger at him, "what?", Sora ask.

*Hm* Shinokaze scoffed and look away.

"(This guy is something else, I just wish he was the one Hayate sensei took and not Shinra)", Sora frown at Shinokaze's attitude.

***

Back at Gekkei village, the Sennin, some elders and jōnin higher up were seated in a hall, Yuuto Mori was standing behind lord Sennin as he always does, on the left side of lord Sennin were the elders who were either formal ninja or citizens, the jōnin higher up were seated opposite the elders.

"In this war we ninja of the land of Gekkei are far behind, the samurai and demon seems to be having the upper arms more than we do", an elder with bald head speaker.

"That's not quite", a jōnin with brown hair and green eyes said, his chin was rested on his hands on the oakwood desk, he was staring right at the elder.

"What do you mean lord Nosuke?", an elderly woman ask.

"We ninja are not losing the battle like you said, I know we have lost lots of great ninja over the years of this endless war against the samurai and demon, but", Kiyomori look up at the elders, "we have slayed thousand of samurai and limitless demons".

"Nonsense, have you checked the records of dead ninja for these past weeks? ", the bald head elder said a bit harsh.

" That's were you get it all wrong ", Kiyomori's head was held up high as he speak," if only you can go over to Hinokawa and ask the samurai to give you the record of the men that was killed for just a week, then you won't say we are losing".

"Go into the home of the samurai you said", another elder ask in amusement.

"Still I will say we're losing", the bald head elder speak again.

"I opposed, sir, what lord Kiyomori said is true, we are on the lead in the war", a jōnin with violet hair and eyes said, he was already around his mid forties yet look like a teen with a baby feature, his look can some how be mistaken for a female.

" How can you prove that lord Yakushi? Recently we have not only lost countless ninja but also an elite, a kōjin and her code for that matter, and it's such a disgrace two kōjin are in the room yet they remain quiet and can't even speak or seek vengeance for one of their own ", the bald head elder said accusingly.

Among the jōnin higher up were two young ninja around twenty years of age, one with blue hair and green eyes while the other one was having grey hair and red eyes, they both seems isolated as if they weren't there.

"What?", the blue haired kōjin ask quietly as if he didn't hear the elder.

"Lord Kaiten, lord Taira... What do you have to say about the death of Chichi Masaki", an elder with a scar across his right eye ask the two kōjin.

"Zen, Kaiten is the first name they mentioned so take the honor of answering", the blue haired kōjin said quietly.

"It's non of my business, I have nothing to say about her death, she's already dead, i don't see any point in saying we kōjin will find the one who killed her when we are already at war, and when two foe meets in the battlefield, only the smartest survives", the grey haired guy who was identified as Zenji Kaiten said, everyone gasps and started murmuring among themselves.

"You really have to say that, don't you", the Taira kōjin said without looking at his fellow kōjin.

"What were you expecting? Kaito, Being here alone is a stress to me, it sickens me", he said, lord Sennin and Yuuto were watching quietly without a word.

"How dare you", an elder smashed his hand on the desk.

"Please pardon him", Kaito said, "(when is this meeting going to end, I just wanna leave this hell", *Huff*

" You can't blame these two, the Taira clan and Kaiten clan always isolate themselves from the world ", the elderly woman said.

*Um* two jōnin who seemed to be the father of the two kōjin frown but refrain from speaking.

"Non of the kōjin are reliable except for Ichigo Tsurugi and Hikari Yakushi", the elderly woman said," and I heard that lord Mamoru as taken over as the assistant leader of the kōjin since lady Chichi passed away".

"That arrogant child, I'm glad he wasn't the one representing the kōjin here today, and also that Hanamura clan girl", an elder said with disgust.

" I wish you could say that to Emiko yourself, it would be more better ", Zenji said.

*Um* " you... ", the elder frown but was interfered.

" Let leave them alone and talk about what matter the most", the bald head elder said.

" And what's that? ", Zenji ask.

*Huff* Kaito sigh.

" It is the ninja of this generation, they are extremely weak and can't even swing a sword properly, it seems like lord Sennin is being too soft unlike his father, he was a very strict ruler who lead with great perception", the bald head elder said and lord Sennin's eyes twitched, Yuuto pushed his glass up his nose, the two kōjin and the jōnin all move their gaze to the elder yet he didn't seem to notice.

"Hey, old man", Kaito called.

*Um* they look at him.

"What were you like on your youth?", Kaito ask with a ice cold gaze.

"I was a prime ninja even when I was just a jōnin", the bald head elder said with pride.

" Timid dog bark the loudest ", *hm* Zenji scoffed.

"you brat, I can tell that you're the weakest one among the kōjin, a kōjin who was a great asset to Gekkei died with her students and now the kōjin are incomplete with no replacement", the bald elder growl," she and her code lost to a kiban ".

" It seems you are angry because a kiban killed one of our kōjin and her code", Kiyomori said.

" Of course I am ", the elder roar.

" You are forgetting something, old man ", Kaito said drawing everyone's attention," you have forgotten that a chuunin level ninja invaded Hinokawa and singlehandedly slaughtered countless samurai and four of the kiban ".

" Do you think he would have been able to come back alive if not for lord Tsurugi who rescued him? And I can't believe he became a kōjin after that and earned a name for himself, without those eyes of his he's nothing ", the bald elder was a stubborn old bag.

" Will you dare approach the boundaries of Hinokawa? ".

*Ugh* the bald elder gasp, Zenji was right behind him," (this child)".

" Will you? At your prime? No you won't dare cuz your life is precious to you ", Zenji speak, mist was now spreading all over the hall," is there anyone of your generation who can do so? You dare speak to lord Sennin in a mannerless way, have you forgotten that he's still the ruler of the entire land of Gekkei? ", Zenji was calm but the killer instinct oozing off him was intense that it left the elder paralyzed.

" Zenji... That's enough ", his father piped in but Zenji red eyes were still piercing through the soul of the elder.

" You must listen to your father... Zenji ", lord Shinji decide to speak.

" Yes, lord Sennin ", Zenji return to his seat after a second of hesitation and the mist clear out.

"You don't really have to trouble yourself lord Zenji, I am the one in charge of handling such matter", Yuuto said adjusting his glasses.

"I was planning on acting as well, it's just that lord Zen act faster so I have no other choice but to sit still", Kaito said quietly.

"(It seems like we all were planning on doing the same thing)", lord Yakushi said to himself.

" Sometimes it is wise to choose the words you use", Kiyomori glared at the elder.

" That's enough ", lord Shinji said with his eyes closed," I understand that I'm not like my father, the Sennin before me, and that's because I'm not my father, I have my ways of seeing the world, just like every other person does, my father is a strict and ruthless man who would get to nothing to achieve what he wants, his presence brings both fear and dreads to his people, i bet you felt that way too around him".

Everyone were quietly listening to him as he speak, lord Shinji remain calm and composed as he speak.

" I'm a leader to my people, I bring them protection, peace and happiness, not terror, but if you insist that I be ruthless to you, then I can become the devil in your path, so think before approaching me", lord Shinji open his blue eyes and send chill down the spine of the elders.

*Hm* the elder frown a bit.

" Now that you have let out your thoughts on the war and recent general... I have decided to address you on that", lord Shinji said ," there is no one leading or losing in a war, until your enemies are completely erased from the surface of the earth, there is no win, all we faces are more loses, pain, suffering and futility ".

"that's why we have to make sure the deaths of our comrades are not in vain ", a jōnin with blond hair said, his voice deep and husky.

" Even if we end this war as the only surviving race, there will still be that hint of regret, sadness and darkness lurking in our soul which won't enable us find true peace... but, this is not for our sake, it is for the sake of our people and the sake of other civilians, it doesn't matter who's on the lead now, what matter is the outcome and how it turns out to be the the end of it all, that is why we will have to establish our force and turn the tide by conquering our enemies in anyway possible", lord Shinji said.

*Hmm* " very well then, lord Sennin this war has being edging for generations and we must bring it to and end ", an elderly woman said.

" Smashing our foe into the ground is not an easy task, but that is what we must do ", a huge bulky jōnin with dirty brown hair said with deep voice while smashing his fist into his palm.

" The Yakushi clan medical expertise has enhanced to a vast extent, we must look for every way possible to outmatched our enemies ", the Yakushi clan chief said, his violet eyes having a glow of determination and pride.

" Same with the Nosuke clan, though I'll still have to push them beyond their limits ", Kiyomori said.

Everyone nod in agreement of improving and taking their clans to a greater height.

The Sennin then smile a little," and I recommend this generation as the best of all time, if anyone can defeat Jigen Shōten then they are the ones".

*Ugh* they were all surprised.

" What do you mean", one of the elderly women ask.

" You won't seem to understand, not even my own generation are as resilient as this one, they may be young and a bit naive, but still, they are splendid ninja, they are unbreakable, determined and eager to grow ", he informed.

" This children, our children, they are lacking a lot ", Kiyomori said.

" What is bad about giving them a little assistance, at least it will help them grow even better than we envision ", lord Yakushi said with a smile.

" That's right, if we guard them through the right path then they will be a formidable ninja, from their missions, leadership and their bond to protect comrades are beyond bewilderment ", lord Shinji add.

*Hm* " that's great, but still I have a question", the bald elder said making all eyes to fall on him.

"Go on with it", lord Shinji said, from his tone he already knew what the elder was getting at.

"The new code grade ninja lead by Hayate Mamoru is an illegal one, and you placed your son there, as your heir it is against the rules for him to go on missions at a very young age?", he questioned.

"Don't forget I'm the one who set up rules and regulations, i have my reason, and besides that he's my son, so fear not", lord Shinji assured him.

"What about the brat you also added? Why is he on the code? And why is he even still alive?", another elder ask and the Sennin's expression harden.