In a vast land filled with big and lush green trees that form an expansive forest which stretches as far as the eye can see. The various sized mountains found within the large forest Aided to the beauty of this forested terrain. However despite its size and beauty, deep within its roots lay many hidden threats and deep secrets regular folks are ignorant about. Legends of a group of mysterious beings that manipulate the forces or extraordinary power, lurk within this picturesque landscape, some lands untouched by the chaos of this war-torn era don't even believe they exist. All that is known about them by the individuals outside there influence, is that, they are a cult of warriors who believe In only one way, one creed....and that creed is the creed of the SHINOBI!!.
Outside a cave entrance at the bottom of a small mountain within this lush forest, there stood a group of people dressed in grey armor and robes except for a single individual standing at the front of the formation, he was dressed in black and blue Japanese noble attire only difference is, he had on a red Hyanna mask, With a dark blue sleeveless Hoari on, that went down to his knees with gold trims. On the back of the haori you will notice a symbol of two isosceles triangles with the top turned to the side, one to the left and the other to the right, the one facing to the right was a size smaller than it's counterpart and there was a horizontal space separating the two triangles, he finished of the look with an exquisite looking katana, strapped to his black obi belt.
All the men around this masked noble had the same symbol the masked man had on the back of his haori, on their armours. which looked awfully similar to the ancient samurai armours, only theirs looked a lot more refine and fitted to the warriors body, painted dark grey with black robes underneath. They are all holding different ranges of weapons, from large shurikens to axes to samurai swords and spears you name it they've got it, some of the weapons can't even be described, they just looked deadly and sharp, looking capable of tearing an adult human apart. They all seem to be part of the rumoured shinobi clans considering they're all wearing the same symbol and some of them are hanging upside down on tree branches.
This group of men were blocking the cave entrance facing a single man who was wearing similar armor with this same symbol on it, only he's looked old and it's paint was a faded blue colour, he had black messy hair and brown eyes with heavy black bags underneath them. He looked very drained and exhausted but he was still standing straight and tall, holding a very sharp katana, that was shining silver with blue seals running down the middle of the blade, looking straight at the 50 of so men gathered around the cave entrance.
After staying in that staring contest for a long time the man wearing the hyanna mask stepped forward and in a hollow voice because of the mask he was wearing, said " You know, there was a time when I told you I would be there to witness the day, you! the great genius will fall.....and I also told you when that day comes I'll make sure you watch as I take everything you have from you just like you did to me by being born first....As you can see brother!, i never break my word."
As he was talking he started twirling a kunai around with his index finger, then he continued "I'll start by crippling you and rendering your [shinobi arts] useless." After a short pause he continued "Then I'll make you watch me slaughter that dirty whore that made you betray your own clan, then I'll kill the baby festering within the princess, after that I'll cut out your tongue, place a puppet [Seal] in your head and since I was unfortunate to be born without the Origawa clan's [Swift release] like my genius older brother. I'll make you watch as I turn your disowned uzumaki princess into my own personal broodmare that'll give me children with powerful bloodline abilities, further expanding my power. The best about all this is that, you wouldn't be able to say a single word about it. Hehehehe" he chuckled darkly, looking at the armoured men around him he carried on with a malicious smile Saying "None of you interfere, this fallen prodigy is mine.....I've been waiting for this moment my whole life. I have to make sure I savour the moment Hehehe" Said the masked fellow as he made another dark chuckle.
The haggard man in blue armor had a sad and complicated look on his face as he spoke up in a calm and husky voice " I still remember the day our late parents told me I was going to have a little sibling, at that moment I felt like the happiest person alive, I thought if I got a sibling then I will finally have a true friend and equal someone that wouldn't treat me like the heir to the clan but someone who sees me for who I am, so to me hearing that news was like salvation. So I couldn't wait for it to happen...I couldn't wait so badly I kept on asking our mother everyday if you were ready to Come out."
He said with light chuckle and a reminiscing smile on his face "when you were finally born, you was everything I wanted in a sibling, you were born with the same eyes as me and even better it was brother I immediately starting having delusions of when you grow up, me being able to help you with your [Shinobi Arts] and we can fight our clan's enemies side by side, together. I even once ignored the fact that you caused the death of countless of our brethren in a foolish suicide mission just to appear great and powerful but all you manage to do that day was show our people how irresponsible as a shinobi you were, I even had to stopped our father from exiling you to the dark lands. I clearly saw the signs but I blatantly ignored them, all because you were my brother and I wanted you to stay by my side, a place among your fellow brethren where you belonged." He sighed and continued with "To think a day will come when I will be forced to fight my own clan to the death."
He made another long sigh then added "it's my fault I suppose, if only I didn't show so much compassion whilst ignoring your cruelty especially in these dark times maybe you wouldn't have turned out the way you did. Watching you turn into the scheming, ruthless and spoiled brat that you are, is the biggest regret I have and worse mistake I ever made." taking a long breath and focusing on his brother with sharp and deadly eyes he said " I suppose the only option I have left is to erased my past mistakes....by killing you!."
*swoosh**swoosh**swoosh**swoosh*
Before he even finished speaking, a dozen or so Kunais were sent flying his way but with one easy stroke of his sword he was able to cut them down to bits, suddenly the masked shinobi appeared before him in a quick burst of speed already in a sword drawing motion and without wasting any movements he aimed his sword strike at his jugular which the blue armoured shinobi block with ease, finishing the sword motion by stabbing his blade straight at his brother's solar plexus but the masked shinobi was quick to block the strike with the width of his sword but the vacuum force still pushed him back. The masked man summersaulted twice and landed perfectly on the ground. He placed the blade of his katana on his Right shoulder whilst saying "That was your mistake brother... but because of your passion for me, it put me in the right position to get everything you ever had, plus more.....like you once told me, when your betters speak, you should obey." he said with sarcastic smirk "now brother kindly turn into my puppet. If you love me so much, you should obey my command. Hahahaha" He finished off with a hearty sarcastic laughter whilst slashing his sword in a downward motion, which he blocked with a calm look and little difficulty.
After the first strike ended with a tie, they went on for another bout of 27 sword strikes in quick succession, with some kicks added into it, at the last sword stroke, they locked swords with each other you can see cuts slashes on his mask and haori has turn to tiny rags. Showing off some battle experience the shinobi in blue armour was able to break his opponents guard and go for a chakra reinforced punch to the chin, seeing this his brother tried countering by sending a punch towards his solar plexus but the blue armoured shinobi blocked it with the hilt of his sword, the force of the punch still sent him flying in the other direction though.
Before he went flying, his punch landed squarely on the masked shinobi's chin, destroying his mask and sending him flying towards a Large tree, far away from the cave entrance creating a human size hole in the tree but the tree was so large the hole looked like a small needle size hole on a piece of paper, with his mask gone we finally get to see the face of the masked shinobi, which was revealing a more handsome and younger version of the blue armoured shinobi the difference being a scar that ran diagonal on his face. As soon as he crashed into the tree he dashed out of it again in a quick burst of speed.
The blue armoured shinobi on the other hand did a few backflips in mid air and then perfectly landed on top of a large stone. The difference in their skill can clearly be seen with that exchange. As soon as he landed he also jump towards his incoming opponent shattering the large stone he landed on. When they got close to each other, the younger brother made a single tiger hand seal and said [Shinobi Kenjustsu Art: Scattering strikes] numerous blade phantoms travelled towards the blue armoured shinobi but he didn't look phased by his opponents attack, he put away his sword and in quick succession he made the hand signs for
When their jutsus' met the [Limbo Slice] obliterated the [Scattering Strikes] but it still deflected the sword strike which ended up hitting him on the left side of his belly, opening that part of his stomach up. Landing on a tree branch behind his incapacitated younger brother, he just stood there with indifference watching his brother fall into the scores of large tree branches before he was saved by one of the grey armoured shinobis, immediately after he was saved he shouted with blood coming out his mouth "ALL OF YOU....KILL....HIM!!!". Receiving the order 2 of the grey armoured shinobi's stayed behind to administer medical aid to their leader and 48 of the grey armoured shinobi's attacked the blue armoured shinobi but with a calm face still full of indifference he made a half tiger seal and said [Swift Release: Void Steps] and turning into a black blur that decapitating ten of the incoming hostiles in seconds and making use of the window he created, he quickly returned to the cave entrance.
When they left the cave entrance to attack the blue armoured shinobi they abandoned their tactical positions which were covering the cave entrance, giving the blue armoured shinobi a chance to take advantage of the opening. Which was exactly what he wanted and by using [Void Steps] he was able to manoeuvre around them to get back to the cave entrance, with enough time to activated a golden [Barrier Seal] that encompassed the whole mountain slope including the cave entrance. Effectively separating himself from his foe's. Finally being able to catch his breath he squatted down with his sword stabbing the ground, with heavy breaths because activating the [Barrier Seal] took a lot of chakra, that's why he was talking for so long, he was infusing chakra whilst buying time. After awhile the blue armoured shinobi got up from his squatting position and ran into the cave whilst sheathing his sword. When he got to the mouth of the cave he gave his brother who was receiving medical attention at the moment, one last look, before disappearing into the dark cave.
///INSIDE THE CAVE\\\
You can see a woman with long red hair lying down on a stone bed covered with red sheets with lit candles all around her, illuminating the dark cave. she looks to be wearing a battle dress but she only had on the first layer which looks like a regular silk dress because currently the rest of her armor with her shinobi gear were scattered to the side of the stone bed she seems to be a shinobi as well because there was a circular swirl symbol on her armor and the upper sleeve of her dress. The red haired shinobi seems to be pregnant as she is currently going through labour if the pain filled screams are anything to go by. By her side you'll find a gorgeous blonde beauty, using [Iryō Ninjutsu] above the red headed women's swollen pelvis area, appearing to be helping her deliver the baby. She said to the red headed beauty in a soft voice "Lady Harumi keep pushing!, you are almost there....I can see the baby's head" the woman now identified as Harumi seems to be in too much pain to even acknowledge what the blonde girl said. All you can hear is her laboured screams through out the candle lit cave.
Few minutes later they heard hurried foot steps and the blonde girl readied her short-sword whilst applying the [Iryō Ninjutsu] with her other hand, she first saw the shadow approaching from the direction of the cave entrance and a bit later she saw the blue armoured shinobi appear, she immediately sheathed her sword and bow her head saying " Oh it's you lord Toshirō."
The blue armoured shinobi now identified as Toshirō didn't even spare the blonde beauty a glance he just ran straight to the side of Harumi, taking a knee next to the stone bed whilst holding her hand, Harumi immediately started cursing Toshirō, screaming "IF I SURVIVE THIS SHIT IM DEFINITELY GOING TO KILL YOU FOR MAKING ME GO THROUGH THIS.....*ARRGGHH** ." her rant was cut short by the piercing pain that followed.
Toshirō just gave her a wry smile and with the laboured screams of Harumi still in the background, he asked calmly "how is she?" The blondie answered " she is holding up well my lord and the child will be delivered shortly" after a short pause she hesitated a bit before suggesting "But...it will aid the delivery if I where to do the procedure whilst you assist with your medical ninjutsu" he immediately answered "Alright" and removed his armor, placing it to the side and then started applying [Iryō Ninjutsu] above Harumi's pelvis region. Seems like in this war torn shinobi era [Medical Ninjutsu] it's a must have survival skill.
An hour later the candle lit cave was filled with the cries of the safely delivered baby boy, who was wrapped in a red silk cloth with pink embroidery of a lotus on it, personally made by his mother. The boy was born with a tattoo of a 15 petal lotus placed in the centre of what looks like a circle made of sealing symbols, on his right shoulder. The tattoo was dark navy in colour on his peach skin. The boy was born with jet black hair like his apparent father and purple eyes like his mother looking quite cute, he was fast asleep after being born and the two parents were filled with joy but then the moment was cut short because Harumi started sobbing, for she knows she can't be their to see her beautiful baby grow. So she started hugging him as tightly and comfortably as possible, treating him like the most valuable treasure he was.
After a while Toshirō looked at her wife with their new born son in her hands and had a loving smile on his face but the smile instantly turned to a frown when he said " you can escape with Sayuri and the boy, I alone I'm good enough to buy you some time to escape. So why do you insist on staying back." Harumi shifted her eyes from her sleeping son to her worry-filled husband's eyes and said " If I escape with Sayuri right now I'll eventually be nothing more than a burden to her. My chakra is in abundance right now but I'm physically weak after giving birth even though, us uzumaki's are know for our strong vitality I wouldn't last long enough to escape your brothers hounds, sooner or later I will slow her down. Though it saddens me to say it but me staying behind is our best chance of buying Sayuri enough time to escape."
Harumi then asked Toshirō "how long do you reckon the [Barrier Seal] will last?" Toshio paused for a bit, then said "give or take 3 hours or less" she nodded in recognition and said "That'll give Sayuri a 3 hour head start to get away...Now are you sure your brother doesn't know about 'the narrow path' because for our plan to succeed, it depends on Shinzo not knowing about the escape route" Toshirō gave her a look of assurance and whilst rubbing her lush hair, he said "don't worry yourself with that my love, I used to practice my [Shinobi Arts] in these caves when I was just a child, only I know about 'the narrow path' it's a well hidden route to get out of these caves, I was only able to chanced upon it due to luck".
Hearing that, she gave a sigh of relief and looked at the baby currently snuggling in her bosom then she asked Toshirō " what should we name him?" He looked at her crystal necklace, paused for a bit then answered "We shall name him Hirōshi, after your late older brother." Hearing those words tears came running down Harumi's eyes and in a sobbing tone she said "Hirōshi....?...it's a perfect name. I hope you grow up to be a capable shinobi like him, my love." At the end of that speech she planted a soft kiss on the baby's forehead and repeated his name "Hirōshi, Hirōshi Ori-"
"No wait!" Exclaimed Toshio, quickly stopping her from finishing her sentence and added "Considering the fact that we have both been forsaken by our respective clans, let's not burden our innocent son with the sins of our actions, by burdening him with our clan names we'll be throwing him right into the perils of our past, even before he is old enough to decide on his own.....I think we should give him the freedom to decide what he wants to be by himself. I believe as he ages, he'll be wise enough to determine a perfect nindō for himself."
He finished off with a strained smile and Harumi reciprocated the same smile whilst looking at her sleeping son she said "Alright then just Hirōshi it is, you shall choose your own destiny and be the master of your own fate but no matter what always have it in your mind that your parents will always love you, my son." She starts sobbing at this point "I wish you the strength to face your future challenges with self confidence, along with the wisdom to choose your battles carefully, I wish you an exiting adventure on your journey and may you always stop to help someone on your way. Always listen to your heart and take risk carefully and remember how much you are loved.....you're barely a day old and I'm already so proud of you, I love you soo much my sweet Hirōshi." she ended it by giving the baby another kiss to the forehead.
Then Toshirō stepped up rubbing the baby's head with one hand whilst the other hand went around his wife's waist. Taking a sit right next to her on the stone bed, they enjoyed the little time they have with their small bundle of joy and with eyes filled with loved he said " As a man and your father I wish I could've taught you how to be a proper shinobi and the also the teach you the [Shinobi Arts] to defend yourself with, in this chaotic era. My only option now is to put my faith and believe in you, that you'll be able develop the strength that'll help you protect your future family without losing your life. In that aspect your father has failed you my son and I apologise for that"
He said with teary eyes "but no matter where we end up, just know that we will always stand watch over you, if only so that we can witness your story unfold." he took his necklace off, it was a four petal lotus pendant, red in colour and crystal in texture and he tucked it inside the baby's wrapping and added "This is a lotus pendant that your mother gifted me, it has help me keep faith in my nindō in the darkest of times and I hope it also gives you the same courage it gave me, in your future perils."
After they finished saying their goodbyes the father handed the baby to Sayuri whilst saying "Sayuri we know we have know right to asked anything from you because after everyone abandoned us, you still followed us through thick and thin, so right now I'm not ordering you as your lord but as your friend, would you please look after our son and raise him as your own. Don't let him learn the truth about his birth and his parents, until he is strong enough to protect himself from the perils involved with those secrets."
Harumi took out a red leather bound scroll and added "keep this scroll with you if he is talented enough he'll understand the scriptures on it but if he isn't he's better off not knowing the secrets that lay within...tell him we love him with all our heart when he grows up. Now go!. Escape as fast as you can and no matter what, don't turned back, we will buy you as much time as we can. Please! you need to make sure you take care. You escaping with our son will mean our deaths weren't in vain" the maid bowed and said " You saved my life when I was branded a traitor lord Toshirō and you my lady gave me a room in your home and shared with me the food on your table when I was just a young shinobi with no clan to claim. I owe everything I have now to your benevolence, so rest well my lord and lady, knowing that, I will rather die first than see any harm come to your child."
Toshirō gave her a long look of gratitude and relief before "give me your hand I shall transcibe the location of the narrow path as a [Seal] it shall lead you out of this mountain." After getting the seal on her hand, she said her final goodbyes, draped on a large brown cloak, capable of covering both her and the sleeping baby attached to her bosom, with little suspicion. With that she fling on the hood attached to her cloak and then disappeared in a gust of wind, along with the baby.
///A FEW HOURS LATER\\\
You can see two fully armed and combat ready shinobi, one male and the other female, taking slow and steady steps towards the cave entrance where they will meet a lot more grey armoured shinobi waiting for them beyond the[Barrier Shield]. Both of them are doing this suicide mission for same cause but for entirely differently reasons. The father wants to sacrifice himself to give his son the Chance to grow powerful enough to enact revenge for him and his wife's deaths whilst Harumi on the other hand is staying behind for the simple reason of withholding their enemy long enough, for her son to escape to a new life, where he can grow up away from all their sins and conflicts.
Standing within the [Barrier Seal], looking at their reinforced enemy ranks, They looked at each other with a look of determination and acceptance, knowing that they're both doing it to give their new born son a future. Giving each other one last passionate kiss they looked at the fading [Barrier Seal] and drew their swords ready to unleash all their [Shinobi Arts] in an effort to commemorate their last stand.
Meanwhile Sayuri has already left the interior of the mountain cave, by making use of the obscured 'narrow path' and [Seal]. She was currently already running through the forest, outside the mountain in the opposite direction of the cave entrance. Making sure to avoid any of the enemies check points that were placed all over the forest in order to capture the pitiful couple and hopefully kill their unborn child.
What they didn't know is that they might get the pitiful couple but their child that has been born for no less than few hours, was already on his way to salvation, indicating the commencing point of a legend that will shake the elemental nations in its entirety but that is a story for another segment. As of this moment, said future legend being Jacob who is just waking up from the mini-coma he fell into immediately after being reborn, oblivious to all the events that took place whilst he was busy sleeping.