Sukemori's memory

The entire hall fell silent.

Shintarō's shout, like an iron awl chilled to ice, pierced the eardrums of every audience member and, even more so, their hearts.

After the initial shock, the crowd erupted in excitement.

"Are you kidding me...!"

"Tools? How can they be tools?!"

"No! They are people! Living, breathing people! They have feelings! They bleed! They feel pain! Shintarō protected Koremori so many times! Takuichi... and Shinrei for Kiyotsune and the others... they..."

The angry shouts initially erupted sporadically, but soon merged into a cacophony of noise.

The audience could not accept or bear to see those "Ninja" characters who had accompanied them throughout the entire play, whom they had become familiar with, loved, and cared about, define themselves as "heartless props" in such a cold and decisive way, and then turn to ashes.

Those vibrant faces.

Shintarō's tall Geta, Takuichi's purple facial markings, and Shinrei's red Butterfly on her head had long been etched into their hearts.

They also saw other Ninja had fewer scenes but fought to the death.

Their deaths pierced the nerves of everyone.

However, just as this wave of anger reached its peak, someone said something like this.

"But... wasn't that how we viewed them before?"

These words were like a bucket of ice water, poured over boiling emotions.

The commotion suddenly stopped.

The anger on people's faces froze.

Yes...

Before this play, before they were deeply drawn to these characters, before they were moved to tears by them...

What exactly are Ninjas to most of the people present?

They are ghosts lurking in the shadows, carrying out tasks that cannot be spoken aloud.

It is a tool that can be hired with money.

They are non-human beings with peculiar abilities, but whose status is ambiguous due to their dirty work.

They might fear the Ninjas ' power, or rely on their efficiency, but have they ever truly regarded them as equals, as people with complete emotions and dignity?

In their conventional understanding, Ninjas dying for their masters is a natural loss, just like broken swords or dead horses.

Furthermore, isn't it precisely the professional ethics of Ninja to end their own life, as depicted in the drama, in the event of mission failure or the destruction of their master's clan, to avoid revealing secrets or suffering even greater humiliation?

But when all of this was unfolding right before their eyes...

That instrumentalism, once taken for granted, suddenly became so cruel.

In the noble seats, the young Daimyo had already closed his folding fan, and his expression was constantly changing.

He recalled how he had previously planned to hire Konoha Ninjas, but now, that thought made him feel slightly uneasy.

The other nobles, regardless of their temperament, all wore complex expressions at this moment.

They may still need the power of Ninjas, but after this night, they probably can no longer look at those silently carrying out orders with the same eyes they used to, simply as advanced tools or special commodities.

The Kakkō from the self-destruction not only took away the Ninjas in the story, but also burned away a part of their deep-rooted arrogance that objectified Ninjas.

Front row of the audience.

Hashirama Senju clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white. He stared at the lingering smoke on the stage, a symbol of Ninja self-destruction, feeling as if a boulder was pressing on his chest, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Madara Uchiha closed his eyes, his thin lips pressed into a cold, hard line.

His face, which always carried a hint of aloofness and detachment, revealed a rare and profound sense of identification.

They knew better than anyone else that what was being shown on stage was by no means an exaggeration.

"Going forth without a will, passing away while clinging to a will."

These eight characters so precisely encapsulate the lives of countless Ninjas who silently lived out their lives during the dark age of clan conflicts before the establishment of Konoha.

For the sake of the mission, one can rush to one's death without hesitation.

However, if the mission fails or the master is destroyed, living with secrets and shame is often more terrifying than death, leaving one with no choice but to choose to end it.

This is the fate of many Ninjas.

This is an awareness ingrained in one's blood, a survival rule formed in a harsh environment.

In the past, they might have taken this for granted, or even seen it as a sign of professionalism and loyalty.

But at this moment, when Izuna presented this bloody law so nakedly to everyone in such a way, it brought not pride, but a belated, sharp sense of suffocation.

So this is how we are seen by others. It turns out that it's not just them; even normal people would feel angry seeing all this.

Hashirama suddenly looked at Madara beside him, his eyes burning with an even stronger determination.

The Konoha he founded must never allow its Ninjas to repeat such a mistake!

Ninjas should be guardians of the village and their families, not tools that can be used at will!

Madara opened his eyes. He thought of his deceased brother, and the countless Uchiha souls lost on the battlefield...

This time, Izuna has packaged this bloody reality under the guise of drama and presented it to everyone.

Little by little, with love, friendship, and affection, it gently touches people's hearts.

Let them understand that Ninjas also have hearts, and that Ninjas are just ordinary people.

Then the curtain was completely lifted, exposing the tragedy of the Ninja's existence to the light of day.

This was an action taken to elevate the status of Ninjas.

Everyone present will become your invisible pawns. They have seen it all, they know it, so they will believe it without a doubt and will spread this idea intentionally or unintentionally.

They will tell everyone that Ninjas are not tools; they are human beings too.

To be treated as a human being... what a luxurious thought.

Izuna... how do you know all this so clearly?

Even when we thought Konoha was good enough, you understood that there was an even better life beyond that.

What exactly is your past...?

But it seems there's one last scene on stage that hasn't ended.

Amidst this explosion and silence that Uwagi utter annihilation, a small "accident" occurs.

Takuichi is not here.

When everyone else chose to commit suicide, Takuichi did not follow suit.

He couldn't accept it.

Reason told him that this was the end for the Taira, the fate of the Ninjas.

But emotions... those feelings from growing up together, bickering and arguing, disliking each other yet supporting each other, were like the most tenacious Vines, tightly binding his heart.

He couldn't bear to watch Sukemori sink to the bottom of the sea.

The instant the Sukemori brothers jumped, Takuichi followed without hesitation, leaping into the icy, blood-soaked seawater filled with splinters of wood!

He paddled desperately, relying on his exceptional Ninja swimming skills and the last bit of Chakra to search through the murky water.

Found it!

Sukemori had lost consciousness and his body was slowly sinking.

Takuichi grabbed him and, with all his might, dragged him toward the rocky shore, far from the main battlefield.

Each stroke of the water aggravated his wounds. His Chakra was almost depleted, making it impossible for him to stand up on the surface. The icy seawater filled his mouth and nose, almost suffocating him.

But he gritted his teeth, with only one thought in his mind.

Swim across! Survive! At least... keep this guy alive!

After an unknown amount of time, as if he had exhausted all his strength, Takuichi finally dragged the unconscious Sukemori and climbed onto a secluded, deserted pebble beach.

Both of them were soaked, and Takuichi was covered in wounds, his Chakra completely depleted, making it difficult for him to even move a finger.

He collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, choking on the icy seawater from his mouth and nose.

Having regained a little strength, he struggled to his feet and looked at Sukemori was still unconscious beside him.

No... we can't let it end like this.

The Minamoto will soon clear the battlefield and the coast.

Sukemori, dressed in Taira armor, would surely die if discovered.

Takuichi's eyes hardened.

He gritted his teeth and began to act.

He first took off his dark casual clothes, and then began to remove the heavy armor with Family Crest crests that Sukemori was wearing.

One by one.

Until all of Sukemori's armor was removed.

Then, he picked up the armor pieces and began to put them on.

Arm guards, shin guards, breastplate...

He clumsily but resolutely put on the Samurai equipment that did not belong to him.

The armor was too big for him, hanging loosely, but he tried his best to hold it in place with tattered strips of cloth.

Finally, he hung Sukemori's blood-stained Tachi on his waist.

After doing all this, he was almost completely exhausted.

Despite his exhaustion, he dragged the unconscious Sukemori, who was only wearing a thin undershirt, to a relatively secluded crevice in the rocks, and covered him slightly with withered grass and pebbles.

He knelt beside Sukemori, looking down at the face that, even in unconsciousness, still retained the sharpness of youth, but was now pale and fragile.

A thousand words are stuck in my throat.

In the script, he was supposed to have a poignant line here, explaining his final wishes. But...

Uchiha Takuma, who was playing Takuichi, was stunned.

He stared at Sukemori's tightly closed eyes, his mind blank.

I couldn't remember a single word of the lines I'd rehearsed countless times.

The immense grief, the intense clash between the character and his real-life emotions, and the exhaustion from the Chakra had genuinely used up during the performance caused a brief lapse in his thinking.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

The play must continue.

We can't stop here.

In a state of extreme panic and blankness, he instinctively bent down and uttered, haltingly, the most genuine and simple wish in his heart at that moment:

"You... you absolutely can..."

"I absolutely... must survive..."

His voice was as soft as a sigh, yet it seemed to have used up all his strength and blessings.

After saying that, he suddenly sat up straight and stopped looking at that face.

He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and made a final adjustment to the armor that symbolized his identity as Taira Samurai.

Then, he turned and, with heavy steps, without looking back, staggered but determinedly Earth Flow toward the other side of the shore from which the Minamoto's search cries were coming.

He wanted to lure the pursuers away.

With this armor, this sword, and this identity.

To fight for even the slightest chance of survival for the boy he hid in the crevice.

His figure gradually blurred in the dim light and sea fog, and finally disappeared.

This is Izuna paying homage to history, as historical records about Sukemori are very vague.

Some say he left the Taira early because he was dissatisfied with Munemori's leadership, while others say he died in the Battle of Dan-no-ura. But if he really died, then no one in later generations would claim to be his descendant.

Izuna found it quite interesting, so he added this scene.

At this moment, the final Biwa music should begin.

But Izuna froze, his hand trembling slightly as he pressed it against the strings.

That sentence, Takuma's words.

"You... you absolutely can..."

"I absolutely... must survive..."

The words, light and choked with the boy's sobs, pierced Izuna's mind like a sharp knife, striking unexpectedly deep within him.

[We made a promise... Izuna...]

[You absolutely can...]

[I absolutely must survive...]

The sound stopped abruptly, but it was clearer than before.

Moreover, a sudden pang of heart palpitation made him involuntarily bend over.

Izuna's fingers, which were pressing on the strings, tightened unconsciously.

It's not an illusion.

That sentence that flashed by that day... it wasn't an illusion!

That's very important.

More important than anything else.

Whose voice was that? What was that promise? Why did it suddenly appear?

Why...

Why doesn't he remember anything?

His modern memories are clear and complete, without any gaps.

But why are there such fragments? So real, so painful.

Have I forgotten something?

In the dim light from the side curtain of the stage, Izuna's face instantly turned pale.

His eyes lost focus, churning with a turbulent mix of confusion and disbelief.

His breathing became uncontrollably rapid, and his hands, which were pressing the Biwa, trembled slightly, almost unable to grasp the smooth neck of the instrument.

Something's wrong. Something... is wrong.

His appearance was noticed by the Uchiha youth who was controlling the background Genjutsu.

Is something wrong with Lord Izuna? Is it due to excessive Chakra depletion? Or was the Ninja self-destruction scene too stimulating? That shouldn't be the case; he wrote the script himself...

But whatever the reason, the audience must never notice anything amiss! Stage accidents are the biggest taboo!

The Uchiha youth immediately made several extremely subtle hand gestures to his companions.

At the same time, he also suddenly increased his Chakra output, manipulating the Genjutsu Formation that maintained the "sky curtain" and some background effects.

Whoosh--!

The sky above the stage and the surrounding Genjutsu light and shadow simulating a seascape all darkened.

The brightness dropped sharply.

The sudden darkness jolted Izuna awake.

He looked up in surprise, staring at the stage that had clearly darkened, and instantly understood his companion's intention.

The play is still going on on stage! The final curtain hasn't even fallen yet!

Stop thinking about it! We can't lose our composure here! We can't let some random fragment of memory ruin the whole performance and all the hard work everyone has put in!

The final song began.

Unbeknownst to him, a figure draped in a black robe flickered and then vanished without a trace.