It looked like Mōsō meant for this to be a spectacle. On the other end were several dozen guards, all of them standing before what looked like the entire civilian populace. Chomei could see hundreds of faces, all of them staring at him with mixed looks. Some looked in shock, others disgust, some pity and still some confusion. Yes, there was no doubt Mōsō wanted everyone to witness this event in order to cement his place as their savor.
A well played move.
Forced to kneel down in front of the veranda upon which Mōsō sat, Chomei remained inexplicably calm in the face of his demise. If this was to be his end, he would not do so by groveling before this man.
Mōsō picked up the scroll that had been laid out on the table before him, breaking the seal and unrolling it even though he likely already knew the contents. He should. He was the one who wrote it.
Bringing the scroll to his closed eyed face, Mōsō spoke. "A verdict has been reached, Chomei-dono," his grave voice rang throughout the clearing where Chomei's execution would take place. He was good actor, if nothing else. "Betraying your position as Chief Tactician to our late Owashi-sama, you conspired in his assassination, as well as his daughter Toki-sama."
Hushed and startled whispers broke out among the crowd of civilians. The rustling of fabric as those in the back tried to get a closer look at the proceedings was only superseded by those up front who were leaning into each other, their hands up to their mouth so they could share their opinions with the person closest to them without interrupting. Several Samurai watched the civilians carefully, taking care to watch for possible dissidents among the crowd.
Chomei remained calm, impassive. It was like looking at stone. He would not be quailed under this man's accusations.
"Furthermore, you and your subordinates were responsible for creating the apparition known as the Cursed Warrior. Your purpose being to spread panic among our people, undermine the authority of Sagi-sama, and usurp his role as Daimyo of Tori no Kuni."
"You are a traitor of the worst kind."
That did elicit a response from the so far quiet man. Chomei looked up at Mōsō, his eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation.
"Chomei-dono, you must pay for what you've done!"
Gasps erupted from the crowd at those words. Shock rippled through the people and the speaking began to get louder as the seconds passed.
All that was second to Chomei's laughing, however, which started off soft but began to pick up volume as the seconds ticked by.
"I see. So that's your game, Mōsō."
Chomei's head was bent down towards the ground, his eyes just barely visible.
It didn't last.
Chomei's head shot up so he could glare at Mōsō with all the hatred and anger he could muster.
"You've finally sprung your trap!"
Mōsō's eyes finally opened so he could stare at Chomei with a half-lidded gaze. There was frown etched on his face.
"I'm disappointed in you, Chomei," he said. "If you're a warrior then at least die like one!" He looked towards the guards surrounding the man and the executioner standing by in case Chomei did not commit sepukku. "Help him carry out his setence."
"At once, Mōsō-sama!"
One of the guards moved behind Chomei, forcing him to sit in a more upright position as opposed to the slouch he had been in. The executioner, meanwhile, raised his blade in preparation to take Chomei's head should he fail to kill himself.
Chomei opened the front of his loose fitting white kimono, exposing his scarred torso for all to see. A few of the scars were recent, as in, less than a day recent. These ones were given to him courtesy of Mōsō's men doing a number on him to get a confession out of him.
He picked up the small kaiken, the dagger which he would use to commit ritualistic suicide, and unsheathed the blade. Holding it in a reverse grip, Chomei prepared to plunge the dagger into his stomach.
Before the dagger could reach him a loud hissing sound erupted all around the clearing. Purple mist began to cover the area, thickening with each passing seconds. Before too long, the entire execution ground was covered in a blanket of purple mist so thick people had trouble seeing their own hands unless they were brought directly to their face.
"What the – what's going on?"
Mōsō and everyone else looked around at the strange mist that had covered the area, as if doing so would help them discern where the mist was coming from. It was a futile gesture, however, the only way they would be seeing anything more than six inches in front of them was if they blew the mist away with a wind jutsu or, failing that, waited for it to dissipate naturally.
Even Chomei was looking around at the surrounding blanket of purple haze, feeling both wary and cautious. He was not sure what to make of this, but he did have a hunch. And if his hunch was right...
"Never mind! Kill him now!"
As Mōsō's orders came through the fog, the words enough to penetrate the shock that permeated those surrounding Chomei. The executioner quickly prepared his sword, readying a strike for where he knew Chomei was based on where he had last seen the man.
It was a strike that would never hit.
Before the executioner even had a chance to stroke his blade down on Chomei's neck, an armored figure appeared before him. A warrior clad in white armor with a red oni mask. The Cursed Warrior.
The Cursed Warrior reacted far more quickly than the executioner did, bringing the butt end of his bade towards the executioners stomach before the man could even blink. There was a loud 'whooshing' of air from the man meant to kill Chomei as he was hit with the hilt of a katana in the solar plexus. It was such a jarring hit that not only was he deprived of much needed oxygen, but his eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he slumped to the ground.
No one inside of the mist could even see what was happening. No one, except for the Cursed Warrior apparently, who was already moving in on his next target.
The man he targeted was not even aware of what was happening when he received a chop on the back of his neck. He too fell to the ground with a dull thud, unconscious before his body hit the dirt.
One by one the guards surrounding Chomei fell to the physical prowess of the Cursed Warrior until, just like that, there was no one guarding the man slated for execution. And with nothing left to guard him, Chomei was ripe for the taking.
Plucking the startled man from his spot on the ground, the Cursed Warrior picked up Chomei and held him under his arm like a sack of potatoes. Seeing how there was nothing left do, the white armor clad warrior held up his hand and, much to the shock of Chomei, both he and the one carrying him suddenly shot off the ground and into the air, leaving the execution grounds still covered in thick, purple mist behind.
XoX
Naruto sighed as he found himself soaring through the air using those kites he had found a while back. His other arm still had a tight hold of Chomei, who was staring at him with a slightly stupid expression of shock. He wasn't really paying attention to that man right now, though. There were more important things to worry about.
'Sweet Kami! Why the hell is it so hot in this thing?'
'Well, it is a suit of armor. You know, metal. Metal tends to get hot when it's in the sun.'
'Ugh, I think I finally understand why Toki always did her Cursed Warrior business during the night. It had nothing to do with cover of darkness and everything to do with how fucking hot it is in this thing. How Samurai could stand to wear this crap is beyond me.'
Complaining about the heat aside, Naruto also had to steer the kites that he was using to fly him and Chomei to their destination. Deft turns and flicks of his wrist allowed him to make the minute adjustments needing to control where they were being taken. It wasn't long before his maneuvering managed to bring the two of them to their destination: the run down shrine where the Cursed Warrior often made it's appearance.
As he set down, the blond ninja disguising himself as Toki who disguised herself as Sagi who disguised himself as the Cursed Warrior (that's a mouthful) let Chomei stand on his own two feet. The Chief tactician for Tori no Kuni used this opportunity to look at the armored figure standing before him, as if doing so would somehow allow him to discern who was hidden behind the mask.
"Sagi-Sama, is that you?" he asked. Naruto tilted his head, as if pondering the question. He really wasn't, but there was no need to tell this guy that. Eventually, he began walking towards the shrine, gesturing for Chomei to follow him. The man did so after only a moments reluctance.
'Naruto,' Kyuubi's voice suddenly came to him through the seal. 'I sense a chakra signature exactly ten meters to your left.'
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