As the hours dragged on, Ryju had been
enduring nothing but pain. From the moment Kaji began discussing the plan and
Mr. Taka long march into the Jinkawa Village, and now, with the clock ticking
past five in the morning—Ryju had been tortured for over twenty straight hours.
In the Laybirth Kingdom, the sky
remained dark. The night's blanket still stretched wide, the wind blew gently,
and the kingdom's people remained asleep under the dazzling spread of stars.
The current time was five a.m.—the time chosen for evacuation. The moment to
act had finally arrived.
Inside Sister Shia's modest home, Kaji
stood by the window, keeping a sharp eye on the horizon while team one slept
soundly behind him. Sister Shia and Mara were waiting close by, patient but
tense, their eyes fixed on Kaji, waiting for his signal to begin the procedure.
"Let's go," Kaji finally said, his
voice low but firm. "We're evacuating everyone far away from this kingdom. No
more good people are going to get hurt under Jinko's rule."
"Alright. I'm with you," Sister Shia
said, her eyes filled with determination.
"I'm here to help too, of course. You
are the ninjas of the Great Village, after all," Mara added with a faint but
warm smile.
The three of them rushed outside,
immediately starting house-to-house evacuations. They moved quickly, knocking
on doors, waking families, and guiding them toward safety.
But while Kaji and his group worked
tirelessly to save lives, Ryju's nightmare continued.
Beneath the Golden Palace
In the damp underground chamber, Ryju
hung suspended in heavy chains. Three men surrounded him, delivering relentless
blows. Fists smashed into his ribs. Boots stomped against his stomach and head.
He had long since lost track of how many strikes he had endured.
Today is the day they plan to strike
Jinko, Ryju thought, coughing blood. But… something's strange. Most of my
injuries—they've healed. Is that even normal?
Even as confusion clouded his mind,
another kick slammed into his jaw.
Far away, at the bridge splitting into
three paths, Mr. Taka sat leaned against a tree. His sword rested in his lap,
gripped firmly with both hands even as he dozed. He was waiting. Watching.
Preparing.
Meanwhile, Kaji rushed into a small
home and burst into a room.
"Hey! You need to get up, now! I'm
from the Great Village, and I'm here to save you!" he said in a hurried
whisper.
The startled family of three wasted no
time. They scrambled out of bed, grabbing only what they could carry, and
followed Kaji into the night.
Minutes bled away as Kaji, Sister
Shia, and Mara worked tirelessly. House after house, door after door—they
didn't stop. By the time thirty minutes passed, the impossible had been done.
Every citizen of the Laybirth Kingdom stood gathered at the front gate,
anxiously waiting.
"Alright, everyone. Let's move. The
guards are still asleep," Kaji whispered, scanning the area.
"You sure?" Sister Shia asked
cautiously.
"Yeah. Don't worry. If they wake up,
I'll knock them out before they can warn Jinko," Kaji assured her with a
confident grin.
"Is it true… that you're really here
to save us?" a young boy asked, tugging on Kaji's sleeve.
"You bet," Kaji said warmly. "After we
get you somewhere safe, me and my students are going to kick Jinko's butt." He
ruffled the boy's hair with a smile.
"Is that true, Sister Shia? Miss
Mara?" a woman asked desperately.
Sister Shia and Mara exchanged a
glance, then nodded with soft smiles.
"You bet," they said together.
Kaji pressed his hands against the
heavy gate, pushing it open. The wood groaned, creaking loudly enough to stir
the two guards nearby.
"Huh?" one of them muttered groggily.
"What's that noise?" the other asked,
yawning.
Before either could react, Kaji
blurred forward at impossible speed. In a single instant, both guards were
knocked out cold, collapsing silently onto the ground.
Gasps filled the crowd. The people
stared wide-eyed, amazed at what they had just witnessed.
"Follow me," Kaji whispered, motioning
with his hand.
Without hesitation, the villagers
obeyed, rushing into the forest. The moon above lit their path like a silver
diamond, casting glimmers across the treetops as they ran.
Branches snapped, leaves brushed
against faces, and footsteps pounded the dirt. They moved like desperate
animals, running from starvation, driven by pure survival.
But in the palace depths, Ryju was
still trapped in endless torment. His body took blow after blow, chained like a
prisoner of war.
The group pressed deeper into the
forest, the shadows growing thicker. Any misstep could have ended in injury.
Kaji kept them moving.
"Does anyone have a phone? I need the
time," he asked quickly.
"Well… our kingdom does have phones,
but common citizens aren't allowed to own them. Only the army, the generals,
and Jinko can have one," Sister Shia explained.
"Forget that. Does anyone know the
time?" Kaji asked again.
Mara raised her wrist, checking the
small silver watch she wore.
"Yes—it's five-forty a.m.," Mara
reported.
"Good. Keep moving forward!" Kaji
commanded.
Back at Sister Shia's house, team one
still slept soundly, unaware that their moment was drawing near.
The villagers, however, had reached
the end of the forest. Before them stretched an open field, a distant village,
and beyond it—the towering walls of the Jinkawa Village. For the first time in
their lives, the people of Laybirth were seeing the world outside their
kingdom.
"Amazing… I've never come this far,"
Mara whispered.
"Me neither," Sister Shia agreed
softly.
"Alright, everyone. Rest here. Get
some sleep if you need it—it's safe. As for me… it's time we give Jinko and his
evil kingdom the beating it deserves," Kaji declared, his black cape fluttering
in the wind.
To his surprise, every villager bowed
their heads toward him, even Sister Shia and Mara.
"Huh? What is all this?" Kaji asked,
bewildered.
A woman stepped forward, tears of joy
in her eyes. "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts."
"Yes. And I pray that God guides you
in battle, and helps you win," Sister Shia added solemnly.
"We're grateful to you," Mara said
warmly.
Together, the villagers raised their
voices: "Please win, and make this kingdom right again!"
"You got it. No problem," Kaji said
with a grin, before vanishing in an instant.
Five-fifty a.m.
Kaji reappeared inside Sister Shia's
home. Team one was sprawled across the floor, still asleep. With a sharp clap,
Kaji jolted them awake.
"Man, I'm so tired," Kenshiro groaned,
yawning.
"Game time," Rei said, stretching.
Goro rose to his feet, cracking his
knuckles. "Oh yeah. I've been waiting for this."
"C'mon, no need to drag your feet.
Let's move," Shun said, already stepping forward.
Kaji's eyes gleamed. "This is the best
part of the mission. Let's go."
The group left Sister Shia's house and
approached the golden palace. But deep inside, Jinko and his generals were
stirring. All four awoke at once—though Hiro was mysteriously absent. Meeting
in the hallway, they exchanged greetings.
"Hey, Sara. Garreth. Que," Jinko said
casually.
"Sup," Que replied coolly.
"Morning, Jinko," Sara said,
stretching.
"Hi," Garreth murmured softly.
They followed Jinko into his office.
"Alright. Another day in the kingdom," Jinko muttered, unaware of the storm
brewing outside.
Team one reached the palace.
Strangely, there were no guards stationed at the gate—it was wide open,
unprotected.
"Oh yeah, this is gonna be easy,"
Kenshiro smirked.
"Don't get cocky," Kaji warned with a
grin.
They rushed through the massive door,
but Kaji suddenly stopped, his senses flaring.
"I can feel it… Ryju's spiritual
force. To the right," Kaji said.
"Then let's go save him!" Goro
declared.
They sprinted through the halls—past
the enormous living room, the rich-smelling kitchens, and over carpets so thick
their footsteps made no sound. Suddenly, Kaji halted again.
"He's here," Kaji said, pointing at
the ground.
"Underground?" Shun asked.
"Yeah. Exactly." Kaji smirked,
slamming his fist into the floor. Stone shattered, creating a gaping hole.
Smoke and dust filled the chamber below.
"Huh?" Ryju coughed, squinting through
the haze.
"Wait—who the hell is that?!" one of
the guards shouted.
The men scrambled for weapons,
grabbing guns and spears.
But then, Kaji and team one dropped
into the chamber.
"Hey there, Ryju. Been a while, huh?"
Kaji grinned.
"Missed us?" Rei teased.
"You guys… you're here," Ryju said,
smiling through his bruises.
Kaji appeared behind him in a flash,
pressing both hands against the chains. With a surge of power, the metal melted
away.
Ryju staggered to his feet, cracking
his wrists and neck despite the pain. "Feels like I've been in prison," he
muttered.
"Wait—I know that guy!" one of the
guards said in shock.
"You bastards aren't leaving here
alive!" another shouted.
"You all go," Kaji said firmly to his
students.
"You sure, sensei?" Rei asked.
"I'm sure. Get stronger during this
fight. And listen—don't you dare lose or die. If you do, I'll bring you back
just so I can kill you myself," Kaji said with a grin.
"Got it!" Team one shouted in unison.
They leapt out of the pit, leaving
Kaji and Ryju behind.
"Now, I'll end this quickly," Kaji
said, his tone deadly serious.
Team one sprinted through the palace
halls.
"I hope you're ready," Shun said.
"You bet. I'm going to make them pay
for twenty-three hours of torture," Ryju said darkly.
"You okay?" Kenshiro asked.
"You bet," Ryju said again, fire
burning in his eyes.
At the staircase, Shun and Goro
smashed through two guards with ease. Kenshiro and Rei took down the next pair
just as quickly.
The halls were eerily silent. No
reinforcements came. Every guard in the palace seemed to still be asleep.
The stage was set. Team one's mission
was clear.
It was time to end this evil kingdom.
Time to face Jinko and his generals.
The battle of destiny was about to
begin. Get excited!
To be continued…