EPISODE 2; ENCOUNTER WITH THE ETERNAL BROTHERS

Gaiden freshened up and headed to the Dining Hall where his breakfast awaited him. He ate silently. After eating, he headed to the Courtyard. In the Courtyard were many Training Equipment ranging from Target Practice Dummies to Poles tied with Ropes to be used for the practice of Punching and Kicking Techniques. Gaiden especially loved to practice with the Trees cut specially for honing agility He began his morning exercises by practicing Agility Techniques via climbing these Trees as quickly as he could. Then he graduated to Target Practice Training with Shuriken (Throwing Stars) and Kunai (Throwing Knives).

As he trained, he noticed something peculiar. There were Two Statues in the Courtyard that he had never noticed before. They looked as though they were of Ancient Ninja Masters however they looked very lifelike though they did not move. Gaiden approached the Statues.

"Dad's troubles started with the discovery of the Statue Of Shekan. I hope I do not share in his bad luck" Gaiden said.

He poked his tongue at the Statues.

"I'm just going to pretend you don't exist. If there are any inscriptions on you, I'm not going to read them" Gaiden laughed.

All of a sudden, there was a brilliant flash of light and the Statues transformed into two Ancient Looking Men with extremely long beards, moustaches and eyebrows. They looked very distinguished. Gaiden stared at them utterly stupefied by the sudden transformation of the statues into actual people. The eyes of one glowed White, the eyes of the other glowed bright Gold.

"Greetings Gaiden Of Kolmnid, Ryuujinn's Legacy, Chosen by Fate to commence the enactment of the Sequence Of Events leading to Tristran's Ultimate Downfall" the Statues who were now men greeted.

"Tristran huh? Isn't he the Dark Dragon that tried to destroy the World Twenty Six Years ago?" Gaiden asked.

"And a Millennium ago and more than a Hundred Millennia ago" one of the men said. "I am Hiruko, this is my brother Hiroshi. We are the Eternal Brothers who oversee all of History" one of the men said.

"So according to you, I have to defeat this Tristran right?" Gaiden whistled.

"Exactly, you have to ensure that the present Timeline is safeguarded. That is your duty" Master Hiruko said.

"And if I refuse?" Gaiden asked.

"We will let you leave peacefully…that is if only you can escape our clutches" Master Hiruko said with a sly smile.

"I suppose there is only one thing to do then…I have always awaited the day Fate would call upon me to defend the World from Ultimate Evil. I had long decided that if that day were to arrive…" Gaiden said as he reached into his pouch. "…I would run like my life depended on it!" Gaiden said as he threw two Smoke Bombs to the ground.

Master Hiruko shook his head and sighed deeply.

"Just like his father but we won't let you escape that easily! POWERS OF PERCEPTION!" Master Hiruko called.

The appearance of the environment changed in his eyes till he could notice every minute detail.

"Hiroshi, leave the boy to me, prepare the Transportation Spell" Master Hiruko said.

Meanwhile, Gaiden had utilized his Fire Rocket Technique to boost himself over the Castle Walls. He landed smoothly on the ground outside the Castle. In a flash, Master Hiruko appeared before him and reached out to grab him. Gaiden crouched to evade Master Hiruko's outstretched hand and concentrated Chakra into his feet. Just as Master Hiruko's hand passed over his head, he released all the Chakra in his feet at once giving him a massive speed boost. He streaked across the Field in an instant putting great distance between himself and Master Hiruko.

"Utilizing Chakra Control to multiply your Speed? Not half bad" Master Hiruko silently congratulated Gaiden. "However you shouldn't underestimate a Light Ninja" Master Hiruko said just as he multiplied into Seven Clones and surrounded Gaiden.

"Ryuugan! (Dragon Eyes!)" Gaiden called.

His eyes changed, his pupils assuming the Slits like those of a Dragon's.

"I see, his replications are as a result of Oscillation. He is repeatedly oscillating between multiple locations at high speeds to clone himself. In that case…CRYSTAL ELEMENT! CRYSTAL LABYRINTH JUTSU!" Gaiden called as a huge Labyrinth Of Crystals arose from the Ground and created obstacles between Master Hiruko's Clones.

"I see, cutting off the oscillations by placing obstacles in their paths" Master Hiruko said as he materialized behind Gaiden.

Gaiden instantly responded with a backhanded blow.

"Aside from the Fire Element, I have an affinity for the Crystal Element. In fact, Mom isn't nearly as merciful as Dad when it comes to Training. Needless to say, I have a greater affinity for the Crystal Element than I have for the Fire Element" Gaiden said.

Master Hiruko leaned back concentrating all his Weight, Force and Chakra into his Upper Body and just as Gaiden's backhanded blow passed over him, he utilized the springing motion of his fall and all the forces he had concentrated on his Upper Body to propel his lower body upward at tremendous speed in an attempt to deliver a Horsekick to Gaiden. Gaiden immediately leapt into the Air.

"Impressive Taijutsu(Hand To Hand Combat Techniques). Your Ninjutsu (Secret Techniques) aren't half bad either. I see your father hasn't allowed you the luxury of slacking off in your Training. I can say at least that you are stronger than your father was when I first encountered him however…you lack the passion he had!" Master Hiruko said as he completely disappeared. "At this rate you would lose to Tristran's Fate Techniques if he were to ambush you. TIME REVERSAL!" Master Hiruko called.

In the next instant, they were back in the Castle Courtyard.

"I would…" Gaiden was about to say when Master Hiruko suddenly grabbed him in a tight lockhold.

"…run like your life depended on it? Let this be your first lesson boy, some enemies you can run from and some enemies, there is no chance of escaping from. Tristran falls into the latter category. Aside from being immune to Fate, he is himself Master Of The Fatal Arts. Hiroshi, commence the Transportation Spell" Master Hiruko called.

In a flash, Gaiden and the two Eternal Brothers disappeared from the Courtyard.