Author's Note: If you are not caught up in the anime I suggest that you are before reading this.

*I have re-edited many of the new chapters so that the story flows more smoothly, an apology to my earlier readers*

Gintoki stopped in front of the old mechanic's shop. He casually picked his nose as he called out the old man's name.

"Old man! I'm here to pick up my ride!"

"Just because I'm old doesn't mean that I can't hear. You're here to pick up your little bike?" it was Gengai. He removed his gloves and wiped the sweat from atop his bald head. His scruffy beard was stuffed with soot.

"Yes old man. Now where is it? I have a pachinko tournament in a bit," Gintoki retorted at the old mechanic.

"It wasn't a big deal. Just needed a little tune-up." Gengai directed Gintoki into his shop and showed him his shiny ride.

And there it was, Gintoki's little motorcycle. It stood there, shiny like a brand new coin. Gintoki marveled at it, staring at the fine edges of his ride as he mounted the driver's seat. He ignited the engine, releasing a roar that filled the empty streets. Gintoki smiled, he liked the way his new ride sounded.

"I added some components to it. I increased its acceleration by 150% and its horsepower by 180%." Gengai added to his work.

"Whatever, old man."

"Kid, that will be 30,000 yen."

"I'll pay you later, old man." Gintoki waved off as he was already riding off on the street.

Gengai shook his head and rubbed his beard as he pulled out a remote control with just one button, a red button on the center.

"Sorry kid. But I don't like people who freeload my service." He muttered under his breath as he pressed the red button.

Gintoki was casually enjoying the wind blowing against his curly hair as he accelerated down the streets. Catching him completely off guard, a red alarm starting blaring from the dashboard on his ride. This startled Gintoki, he was unsure of what to do. His scooter began to shake uncontrollably, the steering handles were not working, the brake was responsive, all hell was breaking loose. Gintoki began to panic, what in the world was happening? Noticing the blaring red dashboard on his stuttering bike, Gintoki in desperation, punched it.

And then everything became white, a blinding light that forced Gintoki to close his eyes as he lost consciousness.

Gintoki awoke with a stir from the chilly air on his back. Sandy eyes muffled his vision as Gintoki observed his surroundings: A dark alleyway that stank like fish. He was placed next to some slimy old garbage and an old mop.

Where am I? Gintoki thought to himself. Gintoki had noticed his bike perfectly standing directly in front of him. One problem, the dashboard is still blaring a blinding red color, providing the only illumination in the dark alleyway. Gintoki grumbled as he got up and walked over to the bike. Gintoki noticed that there was a message shown on the dashboard:

"Ginnoji. I don't know what you did to cause this chaos but please return to Kabukichou immediately. Get on the bike and press the giant red button that is next to the dashboard."

- Gengai

Gintoki skimmed through the message and pondered around the concept of returning to his dump of a house: it wasn't a very economical choice right now with Otose nagging him about the rent, again. He had noticed the obviously red button on the dashboard but he had no idea what this was all about, yet he also didn't want to go home and hear Shinpachi whine and moan about the lack of customers lately.

Gintoki sighed. He decided to give in and go home, but, something prevented from him doing so.

It was the slight hum of a man walking along the street next to the dark alleyway where Gintoki stood: Hattori Zenzou, the JUMP ninja reading his manga. To many, Zenzou is a fun person to be around, to Gintoki: he is the son of a bitch who trolled the shit out of his dignity with five of his closest female friends.

Now it's time for some payback.

Gintoki went to the old mop that he woke up next to and grabbed it. Slithering like a snake to his prey, Gintoki then peeked over to focus on his target. Zenzou, wearing his iconic long scarf and completely indulged in the newest edition of JUMP, hummed an eloquent tune in the nightly air.

Perfect, Gintoki thought to himself. Then he struck. Gintoki clutched the icy cold mop with his fingers and then utilized his Shiroyasha speed and unleashed an icy hell on Zenzou.

Gintoki had stuck the mop up his anus.

The handle part first.

With a giant yelp of pain, Zenzou leapt into the air and collapsed in the side of the road. Unable to contain his laughter, Gintoki sprinted back to his bike and immediately pressed the red button as he sat on the driver's seat. Immediately, he saw nothing but total whiteness.

What Gintoki doesn't know is that he forever changed the fate of Kabukichou and Edo and possibly the world; such simple actions can have ripple effects on the world.

Kabukichou

Gintoki awoke with a shiver. A cold gust of air rustling his wavy hair, Gintoki fought the graininess that muddied his vision as he pulled himself together to get up. This was all too familiar. Harmoniously simultaneous clanks of metal echoed in Gintoki's ears as his vision cleared up. The blurry sight soon became pieced together to reveal an angry samurai wielding a sword directly at Gintoki's face.

As Gintoki noticed his surroundings, he was completely enveloped by apparent ronin all pointing their blades at him.

"What faction are you from?" the one that had his sword pointed at Gintoki's face barked.

"Bro! He ain't in ours, means that he's gotta be in Kada's side!" another one snapped.

"I'm in nobody's faction. I'm a Yorozuya." Gintoki mumbled.

"Yorozuya?" Another one repeated.

"Boss, ye don't think that this guy here is the guy everyone been waiting for?"

"Take 'em back to leader. Let him decide." The Boss decided.

The next thing Gintoki knew, he was blindfolded and brought to a totally unknown place.

Something isn't right here, Gintoki thought. Did Princess Kada come back?

After some while, the blindfold had came off. Gintoki glanced around his surroundings like a newborn baby entering the world. He was in a dark room, with a dimming light coming from a small window on top of a ceiling. There were packs of tough looking men glaring at him with disapproval and menacing stares. And to top it all off, his hands and feet were tied. He was at the total mercy of the perpetrators who kidnapped him.

"What's going on here?" a commanding voice echoed through the room. A dark figure appeared as all the men lined up to greet their leader.

"Leader!" they addressed him. It was someone Gintoki recognized immediately, a comrade and an enemy at the same time, Jirocho, had entered the room, immediately lifting the spirits of the men surrounding Gintoki. Gintoki himself felt a little more confident now, the presence of Jirocho should surely clear up the situation.

"Old man, I didn't expect to see you here." Gintoki smiled, expecting all of this to be cleared up under the presumption that he and Jirocho were now on friendly terms.

"Kid, I never recall meeting someone like you before." Jirocho approached Gintoki. He smiled and crouched down onto Gintoki's level and unsheathed and placed the edge of the blade on Gintoki's neck. The icy edge gave Gintoki a brief taste of how quick his death would be if Jirocho unsheathed the entire sword.

"Old man, you must be joking! We had a blast together taking on Kada and her Amanto friends!" Gintoki let out a laugh, sweating from his forehead.

"Don't recall such a thing." Jirocho pressed the blade harder on Gintoki's neck.

"You gotta be kidding me! Is this some kind of joke?" Gintoki started laughing.

"Kid, there's a war going on. Ain't no jokes for you or me to tell."

"War?" Gintoki repeated curiously. The topic of war was taboo for him. It brought back unpleasant memories, both new and old. The fear of losing everything that was once close to him, disappearing forever.

"Yeah. In case you haven't heard, whole lotta shit going down here these past couple of months. Speaking of which, the hell is an outsider like you doing in Kabukichou?"

"Me? I'm no outsider, I'm Sakata Gintoki. I freelance with my two buddies for a living."

Murmurs echoed through the room. The mere mention of the legendary Shiroyasha could bring anyone in Kabukichou to stop and hesitate. Right now, everyone in the room had tensed up at the utter of his name before this silver-headed samurai.

"Sakata Gintoki, huh?" Jirocho mumbled.

"Ain't nobody heard of him no more, rumor goes that he gon' and died in Yoshiwara." Jirocho decided.

"Hell no. I'm right here aren't I? Take me back to Otose's place: That's where I do my freelance business."

"What do you know about Otose?" Jirocho snarled at Gintoki, causing him to let out a whimper.

"I live in the building above Otose's place." Gintoki shuddered. Jirocho was really scaring him now with that threatening tone of his voice. As he thought this, Jirocho sheathed his sword and stood back up.

"Seems you really are the man they call Sakata Gintoki," Jirocho concluded.

"Um, I've been saying that for quite a while. Anybody bother to tell me what's going on? I didn't let you guys take me here so I could be questioned," Gintoki got a breath of confidence after his identity was cleared.

"You really wanna know what is going on?" Jirocho asked Gintoki.

Gintoki nodded his head. He sensed the seriousness in the air. The mere breath of the word 'War' was enough to pique his interest. He had to protect those close to him, Kagura and Shinpachi, especially those two, Otose, and all of Kabukichou. If Kada had indeed returned, he needed to take care of business, and what's this with Jirocho not recognizing him? Things have really been weird lately.

Murmurs from the onlookers started up again. Gintoki caught the whisper of two people conversing nearby: somebody of importance had arrived where they were.

"Methinks it would be best if one of yer acquaintances go on and explain all this to you." Jirocho remarked.

"Acquaintances?" Gintoki muttered in confusion. Who was going to be this time?

Gintoki noticed all of Jirocho's men immediately line up like soldiers and greet this person of importance. He heard the clatter of sandals walking towards him down the long line of men. He was temporarily anxious to see who this person was.

Brown hair, cute face, cardboard chest, an unforgettable smile, the attributes of the woman, Shimura Tae.

"Otae? What are you doing here?" Gintoki asked in confusion as she approached him. The situation was getting weirder by the minute.

"What are you doing with Jirocho and his men? Are they all customers for your Snack Bar?" Gintoki joked.

Tae said nothing. She helped Gintoki up and undid the rope that bounded his hands. Gintoki noticed that Tae wasn't wearing her usual pink kimono. She looked nothing like the Tae used to know. The kimono she wore was completely white, her eyes losing the bright fire that she always exhibited. Something must have happened.

"Otae?" Gintoki called out again.

Tae didn't move. She stared at him. Her eyes locked on his.

"Otae?" Gintoki called out again.

He was greeted with a powerful slap to his left cheek. Gintoki took the slap, clearly confused by the ongoing situation. He watched as her eyes began to well up in tears. Then Tae embraced Gintoki. A warm hug in which Tae used nearly all her strength to express her emotion. Gintoki was taken aback by the sudden shift of polar responses.

"Where have you been?" Tae sobbed on his shoulder.

"I haven't been anywhere. I just went out for a little stroll," Gintoki scuffed

"Little stroll? You've been gone forever since you and Shin-chan were in Yoshiwara."

"Yoshiwara? I frankly don't recall being there for quite the while."

"It doesn't matter now. What's happened has happened." Tae cut off.

This has been the thing that has been piquing Gintoki's interest. Everyone has seemed so gloomy and distraught since he had returned from the motorbike incident. What exactly happened while he was gone? It couldn't possibly be that bad, he's only been gone a few hours in his rough estimation.

"I am entirely lost, Otae. What happened? Why are you here with Jirocho? What do you mean a war is going on?"

"A lot of things have happened since you left, Gin-san."

Gintoki raised an eyebrow as Tae pulled away from him. The ambiguity of the situation kept making him want to know more. Tae was one of the strongest women in Kabukichou, bar none, what could possibly happen that could devastate her into looking nearly 10 years older?

"Follow me," Tae gestured.

Jirocho's men lined up to form a perfect line. They were sending Tae off. Gintoki noticed that Jirocho had left the scene, nowhere to be seen. Gintoki followed her. He had no real choice; he needed answers, and following her was the only way to get them.

"Otae. What is this war that has been happening?"

Tae did not immediately answer him. She continued walking till she was outside in the streets of Kabukichou. Gintoki had smelled the air of Kabukichou, the scent all too familiar, but something about it was off, he noticed something different. It wasn't the smell of cooked goods for sale on the streets of Kabukichou; it was the stench of blood.

"You seemed to be informed about the war despite not being here." Tae brought up. She hinted at Gintoki's knowledge of Otose and Kada, despite not being present in the town.

Gintoki did not respond. He was busy staring at the surroundings where he was. Vivid memories flowed through his mind. Except it wasn't how he remembered it at all.

Bodies. Bodies everywhere. Drenched in blood.

"What…." Gintoki muttered.

"This is the result of the war. This scene is a daily occurrence. Ever since you disappeared, there has been war."

"Who is doing this?" Gintoki became mad now. He clenched his bokuto.

"Shinra. The evil Princess Kada's minions led by a traitor from our camp."

Gintoki did not speak. He watched young children tending to the wounds of the injured samurai.

"Look out!" a voice whimpered through the streets.

Gintoki saw the horrid glances of weary men as they gathered blades to prepare for battle. Moans of agony and despair muttered beneath their breaths, another battle. The enemy was coming from behind Gintoki. Gintoki turned around to face them. He wanted to unleash hell upon them as he walked to the front of the destined clash of two forces. He was greeted with an unpleasant sight. Humanoid figures draped in white cloaks led by one in dark red, the leader presumably, who leading the charge.

Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Fifty. Heck, Gintoki lost count. All he knew what that he was going to kick their asses, rip them a new one.

The leader of the Shinra pulled out a dagger from under his red cloak. He was aiming to kill Gintoki. Gintoki didn't flinch, standing straight with his back to the watching soldiers, who themselves are completely unprepared. Gintoki unsheathed his bokuto with his right hand and pointed it at the ground and gave the leader, a good 200 meters ahead of the comrades he was leading, a smirk followed by a grin. The Head Shinra clenched his dagger harder, visible traces of a frown of anger and surprise by this one man challenging him. Then he went for the kill. Gintoki didn't flinch, waited for his opponent to strike first so that he could attack the opening that was bound to be revealed. He calculated the motion of the Head Shinra, along with the way he held his dagger, and predicted that the Shinra was trying to utilize his speed and dagger to stab his left chest region, most likely the heart, to kill him. Gintoki lifted his bokuto and casually threw it in the air and caught it on the handle with both on his hands and the blade pointing towards the ground, and with a powerful yell, thrusted the sword downwards.

Boom.

The streets of Kabukichou have been dyed with red flowers.

The Head Shinra was stopped in his tracks, a split second before his dagger would've killed the silver haired samurai. He found himself caught with one foot on the ground and in an awkward position with his dagger pointing at Gintoki. He has been impaled by Gintoki's bokuto.

In a moment to everyone else, the Head Shinra was impaled by the samurai's wooden sword. The sword had pierced through the back of the Shinra, through his body, and into the ground. The Head Shinra coughed out blood and quickly became motionless. Gintoki pulled the bokuto and kicked the lifeless Shinra towards his stunned comrades, all whom had stopped completely at the sight of their leader being killed so easily. The momentum that they had built in this surprise attack had been stunted by this one samurai.

"Bro! We'll back you up!" Clamors of support raged through the wounded men. The clank of swords as men grabbed their weapons. Maybe, they had hope with his new soldier on the battlefield, maybe he could be the one that can finally get them over the hump, the man that will end their struggles.

"Drop them," Gintoki told the men to put down their weapons. Pointless fighting and the presence of other men would only make it difficult for him to maximize the situation with marginal lost. He needed to vent some anger onto this Shinra.

"What?" confusion buzzed in the atmosphere. Drop their weapons? Was this man crazy enough to take on an entire group of Shinra?

"Gin-san. Are you sure? There are many Shinra up ahead," Tae asked worriedly. She knew it wouldn't make a difference whether she tried to intervene or not. It just felt right for her to say it. Gintoki chuckled, all for the Shinra to see as an intimidation, as he raised his left hand to acknowledge Tae's remark. It really did not matter to him how many Shinra there were; pain was awaiting them all.

"This town has gone to hell. Looks like it needs something to put it back into its rightful place." Gintoki declared as he clenched his sword and walked slowly towards the Shinra. His eyes lit like the fuse to a dynamite as he stared at his prey.

"How about the fury of the Shiroyasha?"

Princess Kada's Castle

"Princess Kada!" a Shinra burst into the room where Kada was enjoying her meal.

Princess Kada was eating and snacking on her meal. It was crisp juicy pork cooked perfectly until the skin was soft. There was another person by her side, a masked person.

"What is it? Can you not see that I am in the middle of eating with my advisor?" Kada spat at the lowly Shinra, clearly enraged that her meal was interrupted by a lowly person.

"I do apologize, my Princess, but the matter is urgent," The lowly Shinra bowed in apology.

"Urgent?" Princess Kada muttered under her breath. What could be so urgent that would interrupt her meal?

"Yes. It regards the war front. Our advance earlier tonight was abruptly stopped," the Shinra explained.

"Stopped completely? How in hell can that happen? Didn't Shumei lead the charge?" Princess Kada was taken by surprise.

"He did, my Princess," The lowly Shinra bowed till the forehead of his head rasped against the ground. Telling Princess Kada about bad news was never a good thing to do because the wrath of her anger was arbitrary.

"He was the best Shinra Squadron leader aside from my advisor here. He was agile, strong, fast and quick-witted and a young talent," Kada tried to reassure herself.

"No doubt, madam," the Shinra answered. He hoped that he would be able to escape this predicament with Kada, alive.

"Then what happened?" Kada barked at him.

"It would be best if someone from the assault was to tell you." The lowly Shinra bowed. He got up and waved his hand, signaling to bring in the sole survivor of the assault. This was the lowly Shinra's chance to escape any wrath that Kada might bestow upon him. Two other Shinra soldiers came and assisted a third Shinra, who was beaten and bleeding heavily.

"My princess," the wounded Shinra spoke, his voice was raspy, in pain.

"Explain everything," Kada ordered him to spill the details on everything that had happened. She watched as the Shinra shivered at the thought of remembering what had happened earlier. Such traumatic experiences was difficult for victims to explain after a short period of time.

"My princess, Our assault was perfect: The enemy was caught off guard. But there was just a slight hindrance," he began but paused as his spat out blood. The emotional and physical toll was too excruciating.

"What? Hindrance? Stop pausing and spit out the rest!" Kada was becoming impatient. Her meal had been ruined with the news of failure by her army, a bad combination.

"It was a silver headed samurai," he answered. He was breathing heavily now. He noticed that Princess Kada's advisor momentarily shook when he declared that it was a silver headed samurai that had halted their assault.

"Silver headed samurai? There are more of those monkeys in this planet?" Kada spat at the notion of samurai trying to stand up against her.

"Indeed, my princess. He took out Shumei and everyone in our squad in a matter of minutes," the Shinra soldier answered.

Princess Kada did not speak. She was infuriated and pulled out her fan and chuckled to herself. Then she took one of her knives from her fan and threw it at the injured Shinra, killing him instantly. The two Shinra that assisted him before quickly dragged his body out. They too, did not want to anger Kada.

"What do you think?" Princess Kada remarked at her advisor, her tone rather angry. The advisor has not spoken throughout the exchange between Kada and her soldier. The advisor did not speak but did bow her head towards Kada.

"I want the head of that samurai…No… better yet… I want his body to be crucified and placed for view in Kabukichou. That will surely decimate any leftover hope that that pathetic town has had," Kada laughed.

Her advisor said nothing, stood up, bowed again and left the dining room, leaving Princess Kada, who just gestured her away. She was calculating right now on how to handle her situation. It never hurt to have a backup plan.

"Men!" she ordered. She had come up with a solution in case the first plan was to fail. A lowly Shinra appeared and bowed his head.

"Yes, my Princess?" he asked hesitantly. He knew that Kada was in a bad mood right now.

"Call in the other assassin," Kada ordered the Shinra to do. This was going to be her fallout plan.

"But, my Princess, your advisor is already on the job…" the lowly Shinra brought up. A dagger quickly appeared in front of the Shinra's bowing body. Kada was not tolerating any nonsense on her plan.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Kada threatened.

The lowly Shinra whimpered, bowed again, and left. Not saying a word. He knew when Kada was serious, no one should mess with her.

Kabukichou

"Cheers!" Outcries of joy filled the streets of Kabukichou. Kabukichou was alive that night. Hoorays and melodious singing echoed around the streets. All this because the Shiroyasha has arrived.

But Gintoki sat alone, away from the celebrating people. He was alone, sure he did some heroic things, but he did not know what was going on. The vibrant air of hope did not reach him. Tae was tending to the injuries of many of the wounded. Yet, here was Gintoki drinking alone in the bar that was once Otose's. He had seen no one he knew. Staring at his alcoholic beverage, Gintoki sighed.

"Gin-san." A familiar voice echoed in his ears. Gintoki glanced up to see the eyes of Tae.

"What are you doing drinking alone?"

"I don't know what has happened. I went up to my home upstairs. It was not the dirty, unclean home that I lived in. It is now an area that is apparently the Headquarters of Kabukichou. I haven't seen anyone I know except for you and Jirocho…" Gintoki's voice trailed off.

"Gin-san…"

"Tell me. What exactly has been going on?!" Gintoki looked at Tae, who was taken aback was his sudden change in attitude. Gintoki also caught it too.

"Sorry. I don't know why but I feel that some bad things have just kept happening," Gintoki was not prepared for this.

"I would tell you everything but I feel that someone else would be more fit at this moment," Tae answered with a smile. It was a reassuring smile, at least it made him feel at ease.

"Gin-sannnn! A voice pierced through Gintoki's ears. It was Shinpachi, the same old Shinpachi wearing his Otsu Fan Club clothing except that the bandana that he wore now had the kanji for Kill instead of Otsu's name.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew you weren't dead!" Shinpachi screamed in delight. Gintoki slowly pushed Shinpachi away from him.

"Can you tell me what's been happening? This war?" Gintoki asked him.

Shinpachi's facial expressions soon became cold. Gintoki recognized this change in behavior. It is the change of the face of someone who has witnessed many deaths. It is the face that has endured war.

"It began in Yoshiwara. We were in Yoshiwara. Kagura and I were snooping around for information per your request. You and Tsukuyo went off on your own to investigate the source of the drug cartels. Then…" Shinpachi couldn't finish the sentence. It was difficult for him.

"Then what?" Gintoki wanted to know. The events seem similar but something was not right.

"Yoshiwara went into flames," Shinpachi choked up.

"What? How?" Gintoki was stunned.

"There were many casualties. Including you, or so we thought," Shinpachi spoke.

"Me? How could've I possibly died?" Gintoki chuckled. This was getting more and more outrageous.

"You were killed by a man named Jiraia, Tsukuyo's master. This was at the base of the center of the drug cartels. All of this is what I have been told. You were never heard from since that incident."

"I do recall such a scene. But I was saved by Zenzou," Gintoki countered with a laugh.

"I never made it to Yoshiwara." A voice joined the conversation.

"Zenzou-san," Shinpachi addressed him.

"How were patrols, Shinpachi?" Zenzou asked.

"Patrols?" Gintoki wondered.

"Oh yeah! Gin-san! I'm the head of patrols now!" Shinpachi said with excitement.

"I head all the patrols here in Kabukichou to keep a look out for any Shinra sneaking around."

"What do you mean you never made it to Yoshiwara?" Gintoki ignored him. Something Zenzou said piqued Gintoki's interest.

"The week that I was supposed to go to Yoshiwara, some joker decided it was funny to sneak up behind me and shove a fucking mop up my ass. Gave me and my hemorrhoids a whole new level of pain," Zenzou answered him.

"Are you sure…" Gintoki stammered. Reality hit Gintoki like a punch in the face.

"Positive, I was in the hospital for a week treating that ailment. Physical pain was about a week:emotional and psychological over a month."

I don't know what you did to cause this chaos… Gintoki struck a chord in his mind. It was something that Gengai sent to his bike.

"Shinpachi. Is Gengai still around?" Gintoki asked.

"Yeah. Why, do you need to talk to him?"

"It's rather urgent…"

Gengai's Mechanic Shop

"I'm lucky that Otae had to go tend to other people and Shinpachi had to go on patrols. I didn't want them to hear what I said," Gintoki finished explaining the predicament that he was in to Gengai in a hurry.

"I too do not recall fixing your bike and making any kind of modifications of that sort. However, I have been thinking of something these past couple of years that I haven't told anybody," Gengai answered.

"What were you trying to do?"Gintoki could not comprehend.

"Kid. You are right. You are very lucky that your friends aren't here: What I'm about to tell you would be very hard to believe; I was thinking of making a time travel machine." Gengai revealed.

"I think that you have been traveling through time and you somehow accidentally conjured up something and messed with the flow of time. The world, rather universe, you see now is the result of a ripple effect of something you did," Gengai revealed.

"What does that even mean…" Gintoki muttered.

"It means that in this universe: You are dead."