AN: This is a sequel...prequel...follow up (whatever you want to call it) to "The Sage and the Four Maidens - Ch2"

DISCLAIMER: All characters, and source material are property of their respective owners.

"Speech"

"Empowered Speech"

Heavenly Sovereign

His vision cleared, almost as if he had recently awoken from a long nap, as he refocused all he could feel was mild confusion...

He faintly remembered scorched earth...he had been fighting using strength that he thought was inhuman...miracles in their own right. He remembered losing his right arm through this fight, a fight against someone he knew in some way used to be his best friend...a brother in all but blood.

Strange vision that had been...or was it a dream? Nevertheless it was something he decided not to linger on for any longer. For now he had to get back to worrying about more pressing matters. He took in a deep breath, and merely calmed himself as he gaze upon the study room that had been built by his predecessors, his ancestors...

The walls, the illustrations, the carvings made of gold, silver, jade and other very precious metals and gems...he idly wondered how much it must have cost to build this study room, let alone the entire complex that had been his home for as long as he remembered.

In fact this raiment, a symbol of his status would likely be worth the price of feeding an entire family for a year. To the maker's credit, although it had been extravagant, the mix of gold, red and green colours weaved into intricate patterns and images...the raiment managed to remain simplistic and comfortable. He remembered his father and his grandfather wearing this.

Once again a symbol of their status, and their responsibilities...

None of these had any effect on him, these aesthetics too gaudy...

He suppose this is not the time to reminisce, not a time to wonder how it would be to live a much more simple life free of worries of the magnitude he was facing. What was the use contemplating about the what-if's if it was impossible for him to be anything less (or more) than what he was?

He had been sitting in front of this well made and expensive table, filled to the brim with scrolls and pieces of paper. Oh yes, he had been going through them...though he was certainly not looking forward to doing so.

Well no use moping about it...

He went through scroll after scroll, papers after papers; using the seal that was to the side of his table for various requests and reports that he had to scrutinise very carefully before doing so. Stress continued to build up, until it reached to a peak when he started reading through scrolls that were of a much grimmer nature.

Rebellion, invasion, unrest, corruption, the topics went on and on; he could feel his weary mind being drained as he went through them...

Though there was one report that caught his eye, he was frustrated...worried perhaps. It is unrealistic however for him to say that he had not been expecting it.

Coup

On the surface, the reason for a coup being even an issue was due to thoughts of injustices and hardships befalling the people of the Empire, which they quickly associate as being the fault of the Imperial Court, and therefore the Imperial family. It was reasonable to conclude that the people had been holding the Imperial Court in very low regard, and it seemed that they had been losing large amounts of faith in him as the ruler of this nation.

With his ears kept open, he noticed that the reason for such an incident to be occurring seemed more than just "fighting the injustice of the Emperor" as what their propaganda seemed to be implying. He knew better, it was a series of events, organised meticulously by individuals whom had the greed for power, attempting to demonise him and his family's rule whilst justifying theirs.

It was coordinated, it was well thought out...with the dukes and lords worsening the living conditions of the people in his nation, all the while calling it his "will"...

He did not have time to contemplate further on the prevailing threat, as not long after he could hear the door to his study open as a person could be heard walking in. He looked up to see who it was.

He saw the visage of a man adorned completely in armour, intricate dark coloured armour that covered the entirety of his skin, whilst a helm and a red mask completely concealed his face and hair. It had been his guardian, the chief of the Imperial Guards. He should feel assured and safe when they were around yet all he could feel was apathy and mild apprehension. Being unable to see one's face has always placed him on edge, without seeing a person's face it is almost impossible to discern what he was thinking.

As the man entered, he gave him a low bow, his sheathed sword held up to his chest as he did.

"Tenno-sama (1)" the individual said, his voice cold and unfeeling.

"What is it?"

"General Sutemaru has arrived; he will be awaiting your arrival at the Imperial Gardens."

"Fine...I will head there soon, now leave me I wish to walk alone." The armoured man gave him a similar bow from before and promptly left his study. Leaving him in his lonesome and providing him some time to think over what his guard has said.

Why did the General want to see him now of all the times? Apprehension started to form in his mind, something did not seem right. Though right now, it had been a product of possible paranoia, his suspicions were as of yet unfounded.

His eyes traced to the sword that was parched at the side of his table, an ornate sword that appeared more akin to a decorative piece rather than an actual functional weapon. He knew better however as he had used it before and at the back of his head, he had inkling that he might need the weapon some time soon.

He unsheathed the blade slightly, and a bright gleam emanated from the well made sword. Satisfied by the state of his weapon, he sheathed it and brought it along as he left the study.

The walk towards the imperial gardens had been an unusually long one; the long and winding hallways of the palace that had been his home for years appeared to be longer and as he approached his meeting place with the field marshal, his apprehension and anxiety grew. So much in fact that he completely disregarded the people who addressed him humbly as he passed them by.

"Mikado-sama!" he heard a voice, the very familiar voice of a woman. A voice that had completely dissipated his pent up anxiety.

It was a voice he could not disregard.

He turned his attention to the source of the voice, and he could feel his mouth twitch upward and the swelling feeling of affection blooming in his heart.

"Kaguyahime, my love." He responded, adoration in his voice...calling out the name of the woman whom he had fallen in love the moment he had first laid eyes on her. The woman whom was the first he had to court and suffer multiple rejections from...the woman who saw him as the man, rather than the Emperor.

Now, she had a warm loving smile on her face, of an intensity that matched his. She remained as perfect as the day he had met her and desperately asked for her hand in marriage.

Her ashen black hair was long and done in a hime style, she still had her snow white skin, and a beautiful red kimono-like dress.

Her amber-coloured eyes...he would always have those beautiful orbs deeply ingrained into his mind and his heart...the orbs that added to her already otherworldly beauty.

Kaguya approached him quickly, and in just a matter of seconds she had closed the gap with him. She gave him a warm embrace and he did as well, both of them shared a gentle kiss.

Kaguya's warm smile quickly turned to a one that spoke of worry as she eyed him quite intensely, though it did not take long for a spark of understanding to bleed into her worried visage. She might have seen the troubled expression that he had on his face... and he did not want her to get involved in such issues.

"There must be a reason you are holding a sword at a time like this Mikado-sama, worried about the General?" Kaguya asked...for just a short moment, he was shocked that she had completely seen through what he was worried about.

But let it be known that Kaguya's qualities were much more than mere beauty alone, her mind had been sharp. If he were to be very honest with himself, much sharper than any minister in his Court, even himself as the Emperor. It would never take long for his lover to understand the issues that he had faced as he ran this nation that was at the brink of war and instability...where he could very well lose control over at any time. She knew there were enemies around them, six other warring nations in fact...and there were hounds within kingdom that would see nothing more that his death.

He sighed upon hearing her admittedly rhetorical question, he nodded, "I'm afraid that you are right my love, as you always are. Kusanagi is merely a precaution in case things get...awry."

A frown formed Kaguya's delicate features, "General Sutemaru...never trusted him since the very first day I set my eyes on him. He's been getting bolder over time, I am sure that he is intending on trying something with this meeting."

Mikado knew what Kaguya had said was completely right, discussions about a coup, unrest in the Empire, the propaganda that had been directed against him...it might even be worse than that. He was not safe here any longer, and Kaguya was certainly going to be dragged into all of this.

He is now fearing the worst, he needed to take precautions for her sake; as he was about to let his love know that the meeting with the General would not be safe and she should not follow him to the gardens, she preempted him.

"If you are asking me to stay away from this meeting, then save it."

"But-" before he could say anything, a withering glare from Kaguya instantly rendered him silent. Like he had said, he would never forget her amber orbs...and the intensity of them whenever she glared at anyone, himself included had often been enough to intimidate and silence many a person. This was no exception.

Unsurprisingly knowing that he was not going to say anything further, the glare subsided and Kaguya's features softened again.

Looks like there was no choice in this regard, if Kaguya had made her decision, come hell or high water, her decision would never change.

To think that she often called him stubborn...

He now headed slowly towards the Imperial Gardens, and as much as he knew that it was a terrible idea, Kaguya was there with him throughout the walk.

Though it seems the walk was not really filled with complete silence, as his lover decided to make her thoughts known.

"You know you really should have killed him off when you had the chance. Sutemaru is a snake, it is only a matter of time when he decides to turn on you." Kaguya whispered to him.

Mikado could not help but chuckle silently, "as perfect as you are Kaguyahime, tact has never been your strong-suit..." Kaguya pouted at what he said. His expression however turned more serious, "it is as you said, Sutemaru is a snake...but he is also a brilliant strategist, and a politician. Even as the Emperor of this nation, I have my hands tied...unable to do much more. I cannot act unless he makes his first act against me. I have always believed patience is a virtue."

He did notice however that Kaguya remained unconvinced at what he said, she then said something that had place a seed of apprehension.

"Snakes like Sutemaru...they don't aim to overpower the enemy, they aim to take their enemy's power away...the more time you give them, the more likely they will succeed. This is why I want you to be careful Mikado-sama." This was one of the few rare moments where he witnessed a visage that seemed to shock him. Kaguya, her usual demure and cheerful persona always seemed to morph into a calm, and cold one whenever she gave him advice about the politics of the Imperial Court, and whenever she identified a person she encouraged him to be weary of.

As much as Mikado wanted it to not be true, Kaguya had always been right.

Might have been the reason he survived as long as he did...by listening to her.

"You have always had the sharper mind my love...all I have is hope, hope that it would never devolve into such a state. I have to be the one bearing the burden of ensuring my country does not fall into the brink of war, especially with the other nations at each other's necks. I cannot afford to lose hope...and I still place my trust on the retainers around me to help me stave off the worst-case scenario." he replied wearily.

Kaguya held on to his hand much more firmly, "the six nations, ours included...are on the brink of war. When blood is finally shed, do you think you can place your trust on any of them?"

After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the Imperial Palace, and true enough there was a lone person at the centre of the garden. He was clad in armour as well, but he wore no helmet...

It was strange however to see that there were no escorts or guards in the gardens, in fact there was really no one else there other than himself and Kaguya. He was worried, and he felt the urge to keep his guard up, but this was as of yet still paranoia in his regard...

The armoured person saw his arrival, he had been seemingly unassuming, dark brown coloured hair, brown eyes, and a moustache. The person in armour promptly gave him a low bow of formality, "Tenno-sama, this servant is honoured to have received an audience with you". The man's eyes wandered to Kaguya whom was with him, and he could identify the faintest of frowns form on his face, as well hidden as it was. Nevertheless, he gave her a formal greeting as well of "Hime-sama".

"Tenno-sama, I believe our discussion is one of a more...private and urgent matter, I believe it is prudent that Hime-sama is not present." He spoke.

Mikado shook his head at that 'warning', "she has every right to be here General, you will say nothing more of it." The faint frown of the General intensified slightly, yet he had merely conceded to his declaration.

"As you wish, Tenno-sama". Mikado's eyes wandered to Kaguya, and could see that she had been visibly guarded by the presence of the General, she had glaring a hole into him in a not so subtle manner.

He will have to see what the man wants then.

"So General Sutemaru, what is it that you require my presence under such short notice?" he asked the General.

"It is about the unrest Tenno-sama. There has been talk about whether the Imperial Court, and the Emperor are able to stave off the invading forces of the six other nations. There have also been talks about whether the country should under the rule of a single Imperial Family."

"Save the pointless talk and get on with it, snake." Kaguya replied, loathing evident in her voice. The General was however completely unaffected by her outburst, if anything he could see a smirk grow on his face.

"Get to the point, General." He spoke, his grip on his sword strengthening.

"As you wish Tenno-sama, it is only right after all. So without beating around this proverbial bush, your humble servant is compelled to relay to you the truth about the gravity of the situation at hand. The Imperial Court...cannot sustain the growing population of the Empire, with its current plans. The people, have been expressing a growing desire for expanding the living space,to accommodate the rising population. "

The General's smirk then turned to one of a mild sneer, "Tenno-sama, I am aware that you as well as your predecessors have adopted a more passive role in the upcoming wars between the other nations, but as your servant I personally find your approach to be...outdated."

"In addition to declaring a campaign against the other six nations...the dukes and lords also require greater expenditure to assist in improving the citizens' lives...yet this was also a request that you have disregarded without further advice."

What had been only the three of them soon changed, he could feel multiple presence around the gardens, he could not see them but they were there.

"This, breakdown of Imperial Policy has been very damaging to your influence, and it has been for many years now, since the time of your father. The people, have been demanding for war for many generations now Tenno-sama, and who are you to deprive the people of what they want?" Sutemaru declared, attempting to intimidate the young Emperor into seeing things his way.

It would not work; the one oversight that the General had concerning him was his lack of knowledge of his character, and his personality.

The General also seemed to completely disregard his true knowledge on the what was happening in his country.

"I have eyes and ears across the Empire as well General, and unfortunately what you are contending does not seem to be accurate. It is not the people who are seeking war, it is the lords who are seeking to expand their own influence." He responded to Sutemaru, who in turn visibly frowned, which likely indicated he had been frustrated with the situation.

"Also, contrary to what you have been contending so far, the problems being faced by the people across the Empire is not a "living space" issue like you have said General. We both know the people suffer because of acts of corruption instigated by the ministers and the lords of the land...indulging in their squalor, all the while placing the blame on the Imperial Family and the Court." Mikado continued, the General visibly stiffen.

"Also according to my eyes and ears, it seems that quite a few conspirators that have been captured...had a tendency to reveal that you were the leading force behind these acts." Mikado discretely unsheathed his sword slightly.

A part of him wanted the General to concede and admit that his greed had overcome him, and that he would cease whatever he was planning. He may have learned much under the personal tutelage of his late father, but he had always been idealistic, always hoping that the world was never this bleak, that there was always good in all of them. He had hoped that knowing that Sutemaru had been exposed in front of him, he would confess...he would be lenient.

But that hope had been squashed. As he heard a chuckle from the General, which soon turn into full-blown laughter.

"Oh Tenno-sama, you have a good mind on you, and a good eye. But you know what your problem is? You lay your cards out far too prematurely. Also does not help that you ended up being too...willful to do as you are told." Sutemaru's smile turned vicious.

"It's a shame, if I had known that the son was every bit as uncontrollable as the father, I would have be rid of you both." He could hear thuds all around him, men armed with a variety of weapons, dressed in black now surrounded them.

"Considering the political climate however, I hardly think that the people would be outraged if their 'young tyrant' were to be...assassinated by freedom fighters now would they?"

He could then hear someone rushing up behind him, and the telltale sound of a singing blade.

"Mikado-sama!" Kaguya shouted upon realising what was about to happen.

"If only you had listened since the very beginning Tenno-sama, you and your precious Kaguyahime would not need to die today..." Sutemaru said, a triumphant smirk on his face. He was expecting him to die easily.

Once again, it goes to show that Sutemaru had neglected understanding his opponent a bit more.

He ducked under the swipe by the assassin's blade that would have decapitated him, pulled out Kusanagi and promptly lodged the ornate blade into the assassin's gut. He then promptly remove the blade from the gut and proceeded to slice off the man's head.

Sutemaru's smirk disappeared, a sneer on his face.

"What are you fools waiting for?! Kill him now!" the men surrounding them rushed towards him in an instant.

Though instead of worrying about himself, he diverted his attention to his love, she was shaken by the failed attempt at killing him but she remained strong, no panic evident in her demeanour.

"Kaguya, I want you to get away from here, find the Imperial Guards, alert them that there are intruders on the grounds!" he yelled out, parrying a blow from one of the assassins.

"No! I will no-"

"This is my only command to you as your Emperor!" he spoke firmly. To his relief Kaguya nodded and proceeded to flee from the Imperial Gardens, albeit with extreme hesitation. It had been fortunate that the assassins were all focused on killing him at the moment, he hoped that it was possible for him to fend them off until the Imperial Guard arrives.

He managed to dodge and parry numerous strikes from the would-be assassins, and soon enough had been able to dispatch around five of them. There had been around twenty assassins whom surrounded him, and now ten remained. It seems his achievement had instilled some hesitance on the remaining ten as they started to give him a wide berth, preferring to circle him.

Sutemaru was rightfully annoyed, the snake might have expected him to be killed off quite quickly and by the looks of it, it seemed he did not expect for the young Emperor to be capable enough to defend himself in a fight.

Soon enough he could hear more footsteps approaching the Imperial Gardens, he then identified individuals in Imperial Guard uniforms making their way into the gardens. A wave of relief had reached his mind as he was certain that he and Kaguya would be safe for the time being.

The Imperial Guards surrounded all the individuals in a circle, the General, himself and his assailants. He felt a wave of relief, but it was noticeably suppressed since Sutemaru remained unaffected by being surrounded. In fact, he seemed to remain arrogant even.

"Sutemaru, plotting to assassinate me is a grave offence. What do you have to say in your defense?" he asked out loud, but relief turned to fear as the general merely laughed mockingly.

He did not need to speculate what was the reason for the General's unexpected reaction to find out that the Imperial Guard had their attention turned to him. They unsheathed and ready their weapons, with him as the target instead of the assailants and the traitorous General.

He was shocked, but more importantly he was appalled...these were meant to be the loyal and faithful guardians of the Imperial Court, guardians of his family...

Idealism got the best of him again

Sutemaru's laughter stopped and replacing it was a victorious smirk at his realisation, "You just had to make things so difficult Tenno-sama, if you had accepted the advice of those much wiser than you, it would not have reached to this grave a situation!"

The General appraised the supposedly loyal Imperial Guards whom were now raising their weapons against the individual they had sworn to protect, "as for these men here, I am wealthy after all, getting the Imperial Guard to see things my way was only a matter of how much. Those who are a little too hard-headed...well...they had come to regret that decision."

He heard noises from behind him, the sound of a woman struggling...he recognised that voice very well, and thus he was compelled to look into the direction of the sound.

He had expected it to happen, but it did not mean he felt any less fear or worry. He was after all the one who asked her to gather the Imperial Guard's attention.

Kaguya was held tightly by a guard, her struggle was clear to see yet it seemed she was overpowered by the armoured man.

"Oh don't worry Tenno-sama, she will not die...at least not until you do. I would very much prefer for her to witness how a person too stubborn for his own good meets his death...emperor or not." he noticed the lecherous face of Sutemaru as he said that. It was clear what the General wanted.

"If there was ever one thing you really had a good judgement of Tenno-sama, is that you have a good eye on women."

...He will not allow that. At that point in time, he had no other desire than to end the life of this traiterous General.

"Kill him, this time get it done." Sutemaru commanded, at this the remaining assassins as well as a portion of the Imperial Guard converged, intending to cut him down.

They tried to cut him down, and with each attempt, another would-be killer fell by his blade as he weaved through every person who crossed him as he approached the traitorous general. All he could think was to end Sutemaru's life and no one would stop him from doing so.

As he continued to weave through the masses of assassins and traitorous Imperial Guards, he noticed Sutemaru's arrogant expression began to wane.

It did not take long for him to close the distance between them; Sutemaru was not bearing a visage of a person in fear. Upon taking out the last traitorous Imperial Guard that was blocking his way, he was now almost arms length towards and he had Kusanagi raised, intending to finally cut the General Down.

"Cut me down now, and you would certainly know what will happen to your precious Kaguyahime now won't you?!" Sutemaru cried out, and those words caused him to freeze. In his rage he had forgotten about his love, and the fact she was still in the arms of one of the traitor Guards.

The General regained his victorious smirk, but he noticed that a layer of sweat had formed on his face, he could feel his teeth grind, as anger burned.

"You coward...lacking the decency to at least strike me down yourself." He growled out.

"I am no coward Tenno-sama, I am merely prudent. Would be counter-productive if I had set things in motion, only to be killed off wouldn't I? You are becoming too much of a problem now, it seems that any hope of a fast resolution is now undermined by your simple refusal to just keel over and die."

He could hear heavier footsteps behind him, the sound had been familiar...

"A good thing that the Imperial Court tends to attract the best fighters as guardians of its hallowed halls, wouldn't you agree Tenno-sama?"

He turned around again, and he witnessed the familiar form of the Head of the Imperial Guards, the person whom have sworn to protect him after his father's death. His red mask that covered his face would be unmistakeable, a face that he had been accustomed to since his childhood.

Which was why it struck him the most when the figure held his blade, and was now facing him as an enemy...

Behind him, tens of Imperial Guards witnessed the scene, yet they kept a distance, acting akin to observers.

"Death's Hand, the strongest warrior of the Empire...it had been difficult to convince him to see reason, but with that little demonstration you have just put out...I would say his mind has finally made up."

It had shaken him, it had placed him in despair, he heard in the background as Kaguya had been yelling towards him to focus...to not be affected by this. Yes she had warned him...it was easy for a person to betray another, to always be watchful, to always expect the worst. He often called her paranoid, and a pessimist in certain times...

She was right again...

"Why are you doing this Death's Hand?" he asked his once protector.

The imposing figure remained still at the question, emotion undiscernible behind his red mask. His subsequent response had been simple...

"Apologies Tenno-sama, the thrill of battle is what I value most. The offer forwarded by the General is too tempting to ignore, he is offering me total war, as he leads the Empire's armies against the other six nations. War is my calling, and this peace that you are attempting to preserve, sickens me." He raised his weapon, a pair of large swords; preparing himself to engage him.

"What I witness before me is an opponent that can offer me a good battle. Emperor or not, it matters little to me...Now come, show me what the Emperor is truly capable of in battle."

There was no changing Death's Hand's mind in this regard, he would have to take him down in any way he can. Fear seeped in, he was not the Empire's strongest for nothing, and he feared that he would not be able to beat him.

He would try any way.

He readied Kusanagi, and both circled each other; waiting for the other to make the move. He did not wait long as his once guardian rushed towards him, intending to land a swipe to his head in a downward movement. Using the most of his reflexes, he dodged sideways as Death's Hand's blade hit the ground creating a small shockwave.

Seeing an opening, he went on the offensive but his strike was effortlessly parried by the armoured behemoth of a man. Despite his size, Death's Hand was swift and agile enough to dodge and land blow after blow against him. As his blade collided with Kusanagi, the sheer force behind the behemoth's blow had been enough to launch him a few metres back, and leaving a large surge of pain throughout his arm.

Death's Hand did not slow down, he continued to land blow after blow, strike after strike. He continued to block the strikes with increasing difficulty. His defence would break soon, it was inevitable under this furious onslaught. He heard Kaguya's concerned screams as he struggled under this inevitability.

In an instant, before he could appreciate what had happened, he felt his grip over Kusanagi being forcefully broken through a parry from Death's Hand thereby leaving him wide open to a finishing blow.

A situation his opponent had certainly exploited completely as he felt his gut being pierced by the very large blade of the battle-hungry behemoth. That blow left him in a shock, for a moment he had been dazed, unable to comprehend that a killing blow had landed on him.

"Mikado-sama!" he heard the voice, the voice of the woman he loved. Kaguya must have witnessed the entire moment.

The pain she must have felt...

The pain she was about to feel at the hands of Sutemaru...

...he only regretted that he was not strong enough to protect her...what use was he as an Emperor if he could not protect his most precious person.

As these final thoughts played out, he could hear the victorious laughter of Sutemaru...as much as he had hoped that such...evil would not triumph, it did. He could hear the screams of Kaguya as she mourned and struggled, that snake of a man would have his way with her...

"Take the precious Kaguyahime away, such a beauty is too valuable to kill of-" he heard Sutemaru said from his fading hearing, but he had paused.

Why did he pause?

"What in the nine realms of hell..."he heard the general spoke, albeit much less boisterous, a little more shock.

"You filth..." he heard Kaguya whispered to his shock...her voice laced with venom and hate.

"So filled...with greed, filled with hate, and the desire to kill your own kind...humanity will never change" there was silence across the garden, he was slowly bleeding out...yet he could hear everything clearly.

"Petty reasons fuel your hunger destruction, lies to justify the sins you have done..."

In his fading vision, as he had his eyes on Kaguya, he saw the ashen black hair he had come to know so well...bleeding to white. Her skin turned paler, whiter...

"You deserve nothing short of death." That word resounded loudly, even for him...

Suddenly, all hell broke loose, he heard the a scream of pain, it was that of a man; his fading vision identified that Kaguya had broken free of her captor's grip, in a rather violent manner.

He faintly saw the sight of blood spraying out...

"I-it's a demon!" some of the men screamed out. The shuffling of footsteps resounded as he heard men running away.

Sutemaru now shouted out, his voice now panic-filled, "what are you fools doing?! Kill her, kill her now!"

The next few minutes had been a blur, his vision continued to fade, all he could hear were sounds of slashing, clinging of swords and screams of pain and death. He could discern silhouettes of men falling one by one, it sounded like a massacre...

A massacre single-handedly caused by his lover.

Soon enough he heard the voice of Death's Hand,

"Now this is a battle worth dying for." He could hear and feel his heavy footsteps rushing towards where he knew Kaguya was...

The sound of blades singing through the air, as if hitting nothing but air, that however did not last as the sounds of hard and heavy blunt strikes against armour resounded.

The squirting sound could be heard, then those of heavy blades falling to the ground, and finally a heavy body falling to the ground.

"Slow her down you fools!" Sutemaru panic ridden voice resounded, the shuffling of footsteps could then be heard that started to fade as time went on, followed by the sounds of death of what he suppose were Sutemaru's guards.

Then it all stopped...there was silence, he could smell the metallic stench of blood in the air. He could feel blood coming out from his mouth...

Soon however he felt soft hands...gently holding on to him, he felt his head being lifted towards someone, the one with snow white hair. His blurred vision focused slightly, and what he had seen surprised him.

The visage he had witnessed was a woman with pale white hair and skin, her eyes were also of a pale lavender, veins that surfaced at the side of her eyes were rapidly fading until all that is left was unblemished skin. Small brown horns also adorned both sides of her head.

He knew in an instant it was Kaguya, even with how she currently looked, he would not mistake her face.

She must have noticed his eyes widened at her appearance, as she gave him a sad smile, tears freely flowing from her otherworldly eyes.

"This is my true form Mikado-sama...the form I was born with...I suppose I must have horrified you my love..."

But to him, she was still the Kaguyahime he loved, this form despite being different from when he had seen her, remained equally beautiful...equally breathtaking...

He raised his wavering hand to caress her cheeks, much to Kaguya's surprise. He was struggling to get words out of his mouth...

"Nonsense...Kaguyahime...no matter how...different...you look...you will still be that beautiful...princess I have devoted myself to marry." he tried to give her a smile, no matter how much effort it seemed to have taken.

More tears fell from Kaguya's cheeks, "I'm sorry I could not gather the strength earlier...I could have stopped all of this from happening..." she grabbed his outstretched hand that was on her cheek.

"Now your sons...will not live to see their father when they are birthed to this world...because I was too weak..." her voice breaking slightly.

"No, I have known you for some time now my love...you are strong, stronger than me...you always find a way, and you will always be right. You can handle...without me." He coughed hard, more blood came out from his mouth.

He knew his time was short, so he mustered all the strength he could to relay what he needed to tell his beloved. "Kaguyahime, the God Tree...the fruit...a secret kept within the Imperial Family for...countless generations..." he coughed harder as he continued to speak.

"Take it with you...when you leave the Palace...Sutemaru...no one must get their hands on it. Do...whatever you must to keep it from them. It's only a matter of time...until they find out the...power it holds." His hand dropped from her cheeks, as he made a motion that indicated she should leave soon.

"You don't...have much time until...more Imperial Guards arrive. You must...leave now." He forced out, to which Kaguya have him a defiant glare.

"I am not leaving you." Kaguya replied.

He chuckled softly, he would like to leave with her...but once again, his hopes would only remain unfulfilled.

"One day my love...perhaps one day we might meet again...if Samsara is kind..." He felt his senses dulling, his vision blurring.

He could barely feel Kaguya violently shaking him, demanding him not to fall into an eternal sleep.

"Mikado!"

That was the last thing he heard before everything faded to black.

Samsara

His eyes opened again, what greeted his eyes was the shine of the new moon...for some reason he had felt a sensation akin to longing as he stared into its beauty.

He was lying on the ground, and all around him he could smell scorched earth as well as the smell of fresh blood. There was a strong sensation of pain across his body, which was strongest at his right arm.

It was at that point he remembered what had happened, and he remembered who he is.

He is Naruto Uzumaki...

And he had just fought with someone whom he had considered a brother in all but blood. Though right now, he could not say for certain whether they were unrelated by blood any longer, no matter how distant.

He remembered sealing...Kaguya Otsutsuki into the moon again after she had broken out.

He remembered how the Fourth Shinobi War came to an end the moment Kaguya was imprisoned into the moon again.

For some reason, he felt a tears flow out of his eyes...he felt strangely saddened.

Why did he feel sad? Why did sealing the woman whom was so close to killing him, brought such an emotion?

"You're awfully quiet dobe..."he heard a voice to his right, he turned towards the source of the voice.

Oh yeah, Sasuke...that fight he just had with him...

His best friend gave him a questioning look, "something's troubling you, you're not your usual self."

He was not his usual self?

"Is that so..." was all he could reply with. Sasuke in return seemed to become increasingly annoyed by his non-answer.

"Well out with it dobe...did our fight took your intelligence down a notch? As if it wasn't low to begin with..." Sasuke remarked, perhaps intending to get a rile out of him.

Naruto knew it would have...but for some reason he felt no anger, no annoyance...

"Can't say I can tell you the reason Sasuke", the Uchiha's brow raised at the lack of calling him 'teme', but seemed to grunt in a dismissive manner, indicating his unwillingness to question him further.

There was a strange silence, Naruto looked towards the moon again; thoughts running through his head, thoughts that he knew would not ever run through him moments before.

"Sasuke..." he spoke, getting the Uchiha's attention.

"Do you truly believe that...humanity will always be at war? That peace can only last for so long?"

This question shocked the Uchiha.

"All of this...all the war over the years, the violence...the pain we have felt...we are all to blame isn't it? It is because of our flaws that we are to suffer for all eternity?" as he continued to speak, Sasuke remained silent.

"It is just so...ingrained into the way we think...after every war there is a period of peace...and then it starts all over again."

His gaze never left the moon that was created by the Chibaku Tensei, where the tailed beasts and Kaguya were.

"I'm tired Sasuke...I'm tired of these cycles of hate, and death." he finally spoke.

There was a pause, this time it was Sasuke's turn to reply to what he said.

Ending the Grudge

"What happened to you Naruto?" was his simple question. To the Uchiha this seemed so out-of-character for his knuckleheaded friend to say. For as long as he knew Naruto, he had always been idealistic, always seeing the best in everyone, always having that goofy grin on his face.

It shocked him to see that blonde idiot look so...sombre.

What shocked him further was a sudden strong surge of chakra, in fact calling it strong would have been an understatement as the density of the chakra was on the verge of choking him into unconsciousness. He focused his vision towards Naruto, and noticed that instead of blue, red or golden chakra that he was normally accustomed seeing his friend possess...it had taken a constantly shifting hue of white and black.

He could witness how the right arm that had once been missing reformed back in mere seconds.

As quickly as the chakra surge started it had stopped, and all that was left is silence. Sasuke did not have time to contemplate on what had happened when he felt the shifting to his side, and saw that Naruto had miraculously stood up.

His arm fully healed, and there were no signs of exhaustion present. Naruto had his back faced towards him at the moment, but when he had turned...he had been met with a sight that he had not thought was possible.

What had once been his friend's piercing blue eyes were gone, replacing it were the orbs that he had been all to familiar with. The metallic purple, the ripples, the faint glow that emanated barely suppressed power...

Yet Naruto's eyes were different, it bore characteristics of the Rinne-Sharingan that Kaguya had as her third eye...the only difference was the purple hue rather than deep crimson of the Rabbit Goddess'.

Whatever questions he might have had on top of what he had asked were stilled, in a way he understood what had happened to Naruto...why he seemed so different after their fight. That did now however mean that he was still speechless, that he was able to comprehend what and how it had happened.

As if confirming the thoughts that now manifested in his head, the Uchiha heard his friend's answer to his question.

"I wizened up Sasuke."

The Uchiha hummed at Naruto's response, for a moment he observed how the blonde continued to gaze towards the moon. He would have assumed that he was still contemplating on the imprisoned bijuu and whether he would release them from it...but with how strange Naruto's expression was, he could not say for sure.

Nevertheless he asked, "thinking about the bijuu Naruto?" all he got was silence, was he that deep in thought.

It took him awhile to respond, but he did not expect the response to take the form of a question, "do you think that the world might be better off, if the bijuu remain sealed?"

His questions continued to bewilder the Uchiha, but he muttered a yes to the question. Naruto merely hummed in response, and the response he gave the Uchiha shocked him further.

"Alright...leave the Bijuu sealed in the Chibaku Tensei Sasuke..."

He had to process what the blonde Knucklehead had just uttered, it seemed so surreal that he started to wonder whether this was some parody of a nightmare, or was he actually dead...

"So what...that fight we had, was it all for nothing? Is that it?! You are just going to pull back now after what you have told me all those years?!" Sasuke mustered all the strength he had to shout out at the person he had seen as his genuine friend.

"What do you expect me to do then Sasuke? To keep making the same mistake I have made all these years?! I know when I am wrong, and I am not afraid to admit that you were right about the bijuu. If they continue to wander this world it is only a matter of time they will be used as weapons of war by the shinobi in the future!"

Naruto actually admitted that...he was right?

"This whole conflict between Indra and Asura, I have come to realise that they are pointless. Neither of them have done anything wrong, for they both tried to establish peace. They both have their flaws, but in the end we have no right to decide on who is the one who erred more."

He saw Naruto turning his attention back to him, the blonde then approached him and place his now mended right hand towards the stump of his left hand. Black-white chakra came out from Naruto's palm, and he could feel the stump regenerating slowly.

As Naruto healed his missing arm, he eyed him intensely.

"A compromise Sasuke, I will not attempt to free the bijuu that you have sealed into the Chibaku Tensei. In return, you will not kill any Kage. Deprive them of such power, they will be weakened for generations...to weak to start another war any time soon. But kill of their leaders...there will only be chaos." Naruto reasoned.

As his limb continued to regenerate, Sasuke took the opportunity to contemplate of what Naruto had suggested. In more ways than one it was a sound suggestion, and more importantly, it was a compromise that seemed to more likely secure peace for a longer period of time.

Indeed without the Kages...the villages would be in chaos, there would be power struggles, there would be anarchy. More people would suffer, more death would ensue.

He berated himself for not realising the repercussions...

"Well Sasuke?" Naruto asked, he noticed that his arms had been fully healed, yet he remained drained and exhausted

The Uchiha sighed, too exhausted to question it any further.

"All right Naruto...you've got me, I admit that you are right...you've won." He mumbled out...admitting that he was the dumber one. He could feel a blow to his pride merely by saying that, but indeed there was no hiding it.

He noticed however that Naruto's familiar grin returned.

"This is not a matter of who has won Teme, we were both right, and we were both wrong. We were just many levels of hard-headed to only finally admitting it now."

Naruto stood up, and turned his back to the Uchiha before finally beginning to walk in a strolling pace away from him.

"Where are you going dobe?!" he asked loud enough for the blonde to hear.

"I just need to gather my thoughts. And decide what I want to do for the future."

"What about your dream?! You kept saying you wanted to be Hokage!"

Naruto halted for a brief moment, turning his head to him. His answer would leave him confused for the many years to come.

"I see no point in being Hokage anymore. You could say I grew out of that too. The future Hokage is Konoha's problem now, maybe Kakashi-sensei..."

Sasuke no longer asked any further questions as the once knuckleheaded blonde friend of his walked further into the forest, further away from the battleground.

He would have chased after him, asked him more questions...but he lacked the energy to do so. Perhaps when he has recovered, he could find Naruto and clear things out.

Sasuke would never see his friend again.

Reincarnation

He continued to walk, further and further from where he had left his best friend. His thoughts were muddled, and he struggled to explain what had happened to him.

He knew that was not what he would have said, he knew this was not him yet in some strange parody...it felt as if his actions were entirely his.

Suffice to say his thoughts were a mess. He was tempted to break down at the ridiculousness of it all had it not continued to look upwards into the sky, where the moon was shining brightly. He took a few deep breaths, and attempted to empty his mind...he would worry about it later on if he needed to. For now, he just could not muster the strength to delve deeper into these strange visions and recollections.

Naruto reached a river, clear water had been flowing; he took the opportunity to splash some of it on his face...perhaps this might help empty his mind.

Though as much as he told himself to do so, he could not suppress the recollections that plagued him...

Two names that continued to replay over and over again into his head.

One was that of Kaguyahime

The other was Mikado.

He saw his reflection in the clear waters of the river, he saw how his eyes had lost their azure blue and how they were now a familiar rippled purple that seemed akin to Kaguya's Rinne-Sharingan.

He completely disregarded it.

AN:

(1) Tenno-sama: "Heavenly sovereign", the usual manner to refer to an Emperor in Japan

This chapter is inspired mostly by best girl in RWBY, "Tale of the Bamboo-cutter", "Tale of Princess Kaguya" (that Ghibli film that was so close yet so far to me) a bit of "Jade Empire" and finally a bit of...the "Seven Warring Nations" of Chinese History.

I kinda wanted condense this to a one-shot, but it seems plans have changed, can't write what I want if I skim. This part was the hardest to write tbh since it's prologue-ish and I need it in.

...in fact with all the liberties I am taking for this, the whole fic might just be plain hard.

I still want to write it anyway, so I can't complain. There is a Ch2 when I get to it.