The fighting broke out at dawn.
The tactics of traditional warriors are exquisite. They set up formations on the ice field and use the terrain and climate to maximize the effect of "qi". There is no fluctuation of Chakra, no flicker of Light Pattern, the ultimate of pure flesh and will - this is the aesthetics of Land of Iron millennium Inheritance, cold, simple and deadly.
The transformed warriors of Okita fight in another way. Their Light Pattern burns in the ice and snow, not for attacking, but for sensing - anticipating the enemy's movements, reading the flow of "qi", and dodging at the critical moment instead of counterattacking.
"Don't kill!" Okita's command was transmitted across the network, and every Node received it, "Let them see the difference, not feel the pain!"
But the difference itself became pain. A young traditional warrior fell down during the charge, not because of injury, but because of shock - he saw Okita deflect his full blow with Light Pattern. That kind of power did not belong to "qi", nor did it belong to any category he understood.
"Witches!" he screamed, "Traitors use witchcraft!"
Chaos spread. The formation of the traditional warriors began to loosen. They were not defeated, but eroded by fear. Okita felt a sense of sadness - they were not enemies, they were brothers, compatriots with the same spirit Inheritance. But the spirit itself became a barrier.
Then Mifune appeared.
The old sword master did not ride a horse or wear armor, but walked across the battlefield, with the famous sword "Kurosawa" silent at his waist. Wherever he passed, the fighting stopped - not because of orders, but because of the pressure of "qi". Mifune's "qi" had been condensed to the edge of substance. Even in the most frenzied battlefield, his existence itself was like a still center.
"Okita," his voice was not loud, but penetrated all the noise, "Alone. Now."
This was not a challenge, but something heavier. Okita felt that the Nodes on the network were worried, making suggestions, and preparing emergency support. He cut off the connection - this was his choice, his path, and his responsibility.
They are in the middle of the ice field Encounter, a confrontation between two generations, two possible futures.
"You proved that the road is feasible," Mifune spoke first, his voice tired, "I have been observing for three months. Your warriors do not kill, plunder, or expand. You are indeed looking for... something."
"Then why--" Okita pointed to the surrounding battlefield.
"Because the road itself is not the problem," Mifune said, pressing his hand on the hilt of "Kurosawa", "The problem is the starting point. Where does your power come from? Transformation, purification, that global network. Do you know the nature of it? Do you know the nature of 'qi'?"
Okita was silent. He had studied it, of course. The transformation allowed him to perceive the flow of Chakra, and the "qi" showed strange characteristics in that perception - it was not Chakra, but it had some ancient, severed connection with Chakra.
"Follow me," Mifune turned around, "Alone. No network, no Light Pattern. Walk with your own feet and see with your own eyes."
They walked towards the depths of the ice field, towards a location that Okita had never seen on the map. The traditional warriors did not follow, and the transformed warriors were ordered to stand by. There was only wind, only snow, and only the footprints of two generations stretching on the white wasteland.
Three hours later, they arrived at a canyon covered by ice and snow. Mifune used "qi" to shatter the ice on the surface, revealing the ruins below - not a building, but some kind of older, biological and mechanical fusion structure. Similar to the ruins of Otsutsuki, but rougher and more... failed.
"Thousands of years ago," Mifune said, "Land of Iron's ancestors were not ninjas, not samurai, just... experimental subjects. Ōtsutsuki Clan tried to create warriors who did not need Chakra, to extract some kind of more 'pure' power from ordinary humans. They failed, but the failure produced a by-product - 'qi'."
Okita felt that the world was tilting. He fell to his knees, not because of the oppression of "qi", but because of the subversion of cognition. The glory of the warrior, the millennium of Inheritance, the practice of "qi" - all based on a lie? Based on the failure of ancient ninjas to imitate Otsutsuki technology?
"We guard this secret," Mifune continued, with no pride in his voice, only heavy responsibility, "Not because of shame, but because of choice. People who know the truth are either crazy, or give up the pursuit of 'qi', or... become something else. You chose the third path, Okita. But are you sure your followers can bear the same truth?"
He pulled out "Kurosawa", and the famous sword shone with a strange light in the ice and snow - not the blue light of Chakra, not the gold of Light Pattern, but a more ancient, almost primitive white color.
"This knife is forged from materials in the ruins," Mifune said. "It can cut off 'qi', it can cut off Chakra, it can even cut off... transformation. I originally wanted to use it to end your path, before you cause irreparable damage."
"What now?"
Mifune holds the knife flat, with the tip pointing towards Okita, then turns it over and extends the knife handle.
"Now I see that the damage has been done, but not by you. The truth itself is leaking out - the network of Purifiers is expanding, the number of Chi practitioners is decreasing, and the tradition of Land of Iron is declining. I need someone, someone who can understand both the truth and the lies, to guide the next generation."
"You want me to... hide it?"
"I want you... to transform," Mifune said, the word coming out of his mouth with a strange weight. "Not to reveal, not to conceal, but to find a third way. Let everyone make choices based on complete information - but not be forced to face the impact of information, but be guided... to be prepared to face it."
His "Qi" was suddenly disordered, and Okita only then noticed something strange about the old sword master - a pale complexion, a suppressed cough, and a faint trace of blood on his waist. Some kind of injury on the battlefield, or an old illness from a long time ago.
"Mifune-sama--"
"Time is running out," Mifune smiled, with a thousand years of exhaustion in that smile, "Listen up. The truth about 'Qi' is: it is the degraded form of Chakra, the failed product of Otsutsuki's experiment, but it is also... a victory for mankind. Because we created aesthetics from failure, refined dignity from shame, and regained the freedom of choice from the designed destiny."
He held Okita's hand and forced "Kurosawa" into his palm.
"Your transformation is another way, it may be a better way, or it may be a more dangerous way. I don't judge. I only ask you - don't let anyone be forced to choose. Whether you choose 'qi', choose transformation, or choose... the peace of not knowing the truth."
Mifune fell. Okita hugged him and felt that the old sword master's "qi" was dissipating. It was not cut off, but actively released - he injected the last life force into some kind of Inheritance, some kind of ritual, some kind of... blessing?
"Kurosawa" heated up in Okita's hands, and the white light of the blade combined with his own Light Pattern to produce Resonance. He felt that some ancient authentication mechanism was activated, not Otsutsuki's, not "Bridge's", but Land of Iron's thousand-year guarding, and the Inheritance created by mankind's own will.
Mifune's last words are as clear as ice and snow. "The truth is a knife, it can protect, it can hurt, it can... be forged. Go and forge it, Okita. Not to reveal, not to conceal. Forging."
Then silence.