Side Story Part 6: Redaku Arc: History of Redaku

"The preliminary preparations are complete."

"Very well. It's time to execute the next step of our plan." The masked leader relays his orders.

Whoosh… swoosh…

The masked figure disperses and scatters through the entire town.

A few seconds later,

Whoosh…

Izuna appears in the warehouse.

'Hmm… shinobis are supposed to be a rare figure in the Land of Redaku and yet on my first day in Redaku, I came across not just one but two different groups of shinobis.'

He recognizes the chakra signature of these masked figures.

"These people are the street performers from the day. And they seem quite skilled in ninjutsu and genjutsu. According to shinobi standards, at least seven of them are jounins and their leader is at the level of a captain."

Izuna recalls the events following the play early in the day.

'During the play, they cast a genjutsu to bewitch and indulge the spectators in their play. This could be considered a novelty in any shinobi village since it enriches the experience of the audience. However, these people had ulterior motives.

The genjutsu left behind a small hypnotic seal in the minds of these people. This hypnotic seal doesn't interfere with the regular day-to-day of these people and it will wear off after some period. However, continuous exposure to this genjutsu will strengthen the seal without the notice of the victim. After a certain amount of time, the hypnotic seal will inscribe and engrave itself on the mindscape of the victim, similar to a command seal.

The command seal will activate upon uttering some specific set of words and turn these people into mindless puppets without their consent.'

Fwoosh…

Izuna swipes his hand and takes out a small wisp of dark green energy.

'This is a very innovative method of inscribing fuinjutsu seals. At this point, it's more like a jujutsu than a genjutsu or fuinjutsu.'

Izuna waves his hand and disperses that wisp of curse energy from his hands.

"I can stop their plans in its infancy, but where is the fun in that? Since I also plan to leave a lasting influence on these people, their schemes might work in my favor. Afterall, who doesn't like the concept of a hero during a crisis?"

Izuna shakes his head.

"I am not some saint, but I am also not the devil."

He continues to wander through the streets of the town to get an idea of the situation.

Early in the morning, the sentry outside his room leaves.

Whoosh…

Izuna returns to his room. He dispels his clone and takes its position.

"A two-hour sleep is more than enough for me." He closes his eyes and lies down on the bed.

In a secret room in the inn,

The red-haired, middle-aged inn owner is resting on a rocking chair with closed eyes.

Whoosh…

The sentry from earlier appears beside her and bows his head.

"How was it? Any suspicious movement from that guy?"

The middle-aged lady questions him with closed eyes.

"No… he was sleeping like a log for the entire night. His guard was lowered. There were plenty of opportunities to assassinate him in his sleep. I don't think he is a shinobi. We were worried for nothing."

The sentry relays the information.

"The information from that merchant might be a fluke. There is a possibility that he used some sort of trick to fool them." The sentry speculates.

"Then what about the monster meat in the market? Is that also fake?" The middle-aged lady questions

"Ermm… the meat is genuine monster meat. And it's in large quantity at that, but… that guy… he was so carefree… so I thought that…"

"You might be right, but you also can be wrong. Only fools and people with real skills will remain fearless, regardless of the situation. Who knows, one wrong move from your side and I might lose a trusted aide." The red-haired lady comments.

Gulp…

The sentry gulps his saliva in fear.

'If what the misses say is true, then I might have lost my life if I tried something funny.'

"Th… Then what should I do, Miss?" The sentry asks her.

"Of course, continue to monitor him. Even if he has some skills, he is currently in our territory. So, he has to follow our rules. If he has a problem, then he can come and meet us anytime."

The red-haired lady confidently voices her thoughts.

"Even though the power of our Uzu clan has declined in the previous few centuries. The legacy of our ancestors is still with us. Not just any random person can come and trample over us." She harrumphs.

Knock… knock…

Someone knocks on the door of the secret room in a specific rhythm.

"Come in!"

The red-haired lady swipes her fingers on the armrest of her chair. The door of the secret room opens and another person in a black robe enters the room. She turns towards the sentry and gestures for him to leave. The sentry bows respectfully and departs the room from another entrance.

The red-haired lady turns to the newcomer.

"Lady Akai, recently a lot of suspicious people have entered the town during the Shirodo festival."

The newcomer passes a report to the red-haired lady, Akai.

"Hmm… that's not anything new. Every year there will be plenty of people with malicious intentions seeking an opportunity to fulfill their nefarious goals." Akai shakes her head.

"It's different this year." The black-robed person remarks.

"It's indeed slightly different this year, but our people should be able to deal with any unexpected situation." Akai flips the scroll in her hands.

"I have marked the few suspicious people entering the town on this scroll. And out of them, five people or groups stand out a lot." The black-robed person continues.

"That's a lot of people." Akai frowns.

"Yes, it indeed is. The stars in the sky are aligned in a specific pattern to create a rare celestial event that happens every fifty years. The lunar eclipse on the seventh day of the Shirodo festival also happens to be a part of this rare celestial event. So, a lot of tourists gather at this place to witness this twice-in-a-century moment. This time, this event will mark the beginning of a new era, a new century."

"It is also the time when the seal on the Umibozu is the weakest." The black-robed person remarks.

Akai's expression turns ugly.

"You are right!" Our clan has maintained this seal for the past five centuries. Every century the seal will weaken and we have to pay a price to strengthen it.

"There were several attempts in the past where someone will attempt to free the monster from its reins," Akai recalls the incident from the previous Lunar Eclipse.

During the previous lunar eclipse, the offspring of one of the sea lords went berserk and launched an attack on the harbor town. Our people fought against those monsters for days and yet we couldn't gain any advantage over them.

When the town was on the verge of destruction, a hero appeared amidst us. He was a shinobi from the outland who washed up on the shore.

He boldly stood before the fangs of the sea monster and valiantly fought against him.

He summoned a wood dragon, a wood deity, and a thousand-hand buddha to fight against the sea lord's offspring. The battle lasted for three days and three nights.

"Finally, on the fourth day, the battle came to an end when the hero slays the offspring of the sea lord. This event infuriated the seal lord to the extent that their town had to suffer from continuous thunderstorms and tsunamis for the next ten years.

The sea lords are unable to attack the mainland of Redaku due to an ancient pact between the Sage, the Priest Tataru, and the seven sea lords.

If not for the effect of that pact, those foul sea creatures might overrun the land of Redaku. The Sage lent a portion of his power to the people of Redaku in the form of a scepter called Shuigu.

According to the legends, the wielder of this scepter boasts authority over rain, thunderstorm, and even the vast sea itself. He can manipulate and bend water according to their desires. The wielder of the scepter can produce unlimited water and can even drown the entire Redaku if he wants to.

The current whereabouts of this scepter are unknown, but it is believed that the royal family of the Redaku had ownership of this scepter at some point. After an internal battle for hegemony between the descendants of the royal family, the scepter went missing.

The scepter is a symbol of authority and only the person in possession of the scepter from the royal family will be considered the true ruler of the Redaku. As such, every member of the royal family is searching for that scepter.

Akai recalls a few pieces of history.