Silence strangled the camp.
The lid of the box hung open.
Shinsuke's head tilted slightly as he smiled from within the darkness, eyes sharp despite the chains coiled around the thick wood.
"Hello, Shinju."
The air changed.
Rin stiffened, holding tightly onto Shinju.
Ina's hand moved instinctively toward her Kunai. Raizo stepped half a pace forward, eyes narrowing.
Renji's eyes opened slightly. Unfazed.
Shinju didn't move.
His fists clenched at his sides.
"…You're alive."
Shinsuke chuckled.
"Hardly the word I'd use."
Itsuki sighed like a man mildly inconvenienced by the weather.
"I knew I should've added another layer of seal," he muttered.
Shinsuke laughed louder. "You cut me in half, stuffed me into boxes, chained my body like cargo—i can barely feel my other half, at least… tell me where is my sword?" Shinsuke asked, his voice strained.
Itsuki didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he raised his hand.
From behind him—where the blade had been—the sword lifted, as if pulled by an unseen force, sliding free from the back of his coat.
He caught it effortlessly.
"You mean this sword?"
Shinsuke's eyes widened.
He touched it…?
A chill ran through him.
That's impossible…
Anyone who isn't bonded to the blade… their essence should be drained… completely…
Left empty. Lifeless.
But Itsuki stood there—calm. Unaffected.
Not even a flicker of strain.
Shinsuke's breath tightened.
…Nothing's happening to him.
I knew… he was a problem.
Itsuki glanced at the blade for a brief moment, then back at Shinsuke.
"I'll be keeping this sword," he said plainly. "Far from your reach."
Without another word, he lowered it and slid it back behind him—
The weapon settled once again against his back, as if it had always belonged there.
Silence.
Shinju finally spoke.
"The Shadows."
His eyes didn't leave Shinsuke.
"Where are they?"
Shinsuke laughed.
"You really think I'll tell you guys anything," Shinsuke said.
Shinsuke smiled. "Your blade can't even touch them."
Shinju's breath tightened.
"…And Akagiri?"
The name scraped out of him.
Shinsuke's laughter faded into something quieter. Sharper.
"Did you not hear what I said, am not spilling anything, so just drop dead."
Shinju's jaw tightened.
"I'm going to kill him first. He's going to pay for what he's done, him and the Shadows."
Rin saw the expression on Shinju's face, and she turned her face away. An expression she was not pleased to see.
Itsuki's gaze flicked toward Shinju—not surprised, but attentive.
Shinsuke smiled faintly
"you want to take on Akagiri ," Shinsuke continued. "you could barely hold a candle to me. "
His voice changed, Serious.
"What makes you think you stand a chance, but even if you found him you would be dead in an instant."
Shinsuke laughed amused.
"Anger and vengeance don't change anything. It just leads fools to their deaths."
Itsuki lifted one leg.
"That's enough," he said.
Then casually kicked the lid shut.
Thump.
Itsuki leaned his weight onto the box with his boot, resting there comfortably.
"…Ah," he said. "Peace at last."
Rin blinked.
Ina stared.
Renji.
From inside the box:
"Mmph—! You coward—!"
Itsuki knocked on the wood with his knuckles.
"Careful," he said pleasantly. "You're not in a position to insult your transportation."
Shinsuke's voice cut off with an irritated grunt.
"I didn't say you could talk that much." Itsuki expression darkened.
Ina sighed. "I don't really understand what's going on."
Itsuki smiled. "I'll explain it later."
He turned away from the boxes.
" Alright, everyone pack up," Itsuki said calmly. "We're moving out."
Ina straightened.
"Back to HQ?"
"Yes. Revolutionary HQ."
He glanced at the horizon where smoke still lingered.
"We've wasted enough time here. Can't tell what tomorrow has in store for us."
Raizo nodded.
"Squadron 6, prepare to move."
"Alright!!"
Squadron 6 shifted into motion. Samurai lifted supplies. Ninja vanished into the shadows to scout ahead.
"You're making a mistake keeping me alive, Silver Prince," Shinsuke's voice echoed.
"You think you can control what's coming?"
Itsuki didn't look back.
"I don't need to control it," he said.
"I just need to be ready to kill it."
Before they could take more than a few steps—
Shouts rose from the village.
The villagers came running.
Dust rose beneath their feet as they rushed toward Squadron Six, just as they were preparing to leave.
People ran toward them.
Men. Women. Children.
The Village Head stumbled forward, nearly tripping as he bowed deeply, his forehead nearly hitting the dirt.
"Thank you," he said, voice shaking.
"Thank you for saving us. They told us… they told us nothing would happen…"
His words broke.
Behind him, villagers cried openly.
Some bowed. Some fell to their knees. Some simply stared at the warriors before them as if trying to burn their faces into memory.
Rin swallowed hard.
Ina looked away, uncomfortable with the praise.
Shinju stood frozen.
A woman stepped forward, clutching her child.
"If you hadn't been here…"
Her voice cracked.
"We would've all been—"
Itsuki raised his hand.
"That's enough."
The villagers fell silent.
At the front, an old man stumbled forward, breath uneven, eyes heavy with guilt. He dropped to his knees before them.
"I… I'm sorry…" his voice trembled. "I couldn't help… I had no choice."
A silence fell.
Itsuki stepped forward, his gaze sharp.
"…No choice?" he repeated. "What do you mean?"
The old man lowered his head, hands shaking.
"Please… let me explain."
Flashback (Told Through Him)
"A few weeks after you arrived… I received a letter."
"A letter from… one of the Shadows."
The squad stiffened.
"They ordered me to prepare a meeting place… so we could discuss."
"If I refused… or tried anything foolish…"
His voice cracked.
"They said they would slaughter everyone in the village."
A murmur spread among the squad.
"I wanted to warn you," he continued. "I truly did… but your residence was hidden deep in the forest. If I tried to reach you… and I was followed…"
He clenched his fists.
"I would have led them straight to you."
Rising Tension
"So you said nothing," Itsuki said coldly.
The old man nodded.
"I thought… I could find a way to reach out to you."
"But it was too late…"
His breathing grew heavier.
"The Ranker came in earlier than expected."
"At first, they didn't know where you were staying… but recently… they found out."
"That's when they attacked."
A brief pause.
"They control villages like this," the old man added. "Each one assigned a Ranker… watching, ruling, waiting."
"And the Revolutionary Army…" he looked up weakly, "you don't have enough people to protect us all… do you?"
No one answered.
Because it was true.
Climax –
The old man suddenly bowed, pressing his forehead to the ground.
"Please!"
One by one, the villagers followed—kneeling.
"End them…"
"End the Shadows…"
"End this… so we can live without fear."
"Please stand up," Ina said.
They all stood.
The wind moved quietly.
No one spoke.
Itsuki stood still for a moment… then slowly stepped forward.
"You're right," he said.
His voice was calm—but heavy.
"We don't have enough people."
A faint tension spread through the squad.
"We can't be everywhere… we can't save everyone."
He paused.
"But the moment we stepped into this war…"
His eyes hardened.
"…the moment we saw what these nations do to people—for ego… for pride…"
His voice dropped.
"…we chose not to look away."
Silence.
Then—
Itsuki lowered himself to his knees.
The villagers froze.
"I swear…" he said, placing his hand firmly against the ground.
"I swear on my name, Aokami Itsuki…"
His fingers tightened against the earth.
"We will bring you peace."
"Even if it costs me my life."
A sharp intake of breath spread through the crowd.
Behind him—
One by one…
The members of Squadron Six stepped forward—
—and knelt beside him.
The sound of swords and fabric hitting the ground echoed softly.
"We swear it."
"Thank you…" Itsuki whispered.
"Thank you… for not giving up on us…"
Shinju stood still.
Watching.
Something… felt different.
Itsuki face—
It wasn't the one he knew.
No calm ease.
No distant composure.
This was something else.
Serious.
Unshakable.
For the first time—
Shinju didn't just see a leader.
He saw… conviction in its finest form.
And he didn't know why—
…but it stirred something inside him.
The old man's hands trembled.
Tears streamed down his face.
Behind him, more villagers began to cry.
Some bowed.
Some simply stood there—unable to speak.
But all of them…felt it.
Hope.
Itsuki slowly lifted his head.
"I don't know when," he admitted.
"But soon…"
He rose to his feet.
"We'll march into their territory."
"And we'll end this."
He turned.
"Squadron Six…"
A pause.
"…move out."
The squad stood.
Cloaks shifted as they turned, the wind catching the edges.
And without another word—
They began to walk away.
The villagers remained still.
Watching them leave.
The old man looked up at the sky.
… God, If you truly exist…
…in this world filled with pain and suffering…
His eyes closed.
…please… guide them.
…send a warrior who will end this…
…and save us.
As Squadron 6 began to move, Shinju glanced back at the villagers one last time.
The people stood in the dust, watching their silhouettes fade into the road.
The road unfurled beneath the horses' hooves, a steady thunder of rhythm and dust. Leather creaked. Breath steamed in the cooling air. Squad Five rode ahead in a loose formation, silhouettes swaying with the rise and fall of their mounts, already pulling away toward the distant gates.
Only Shinju and Itsuki lingered near the back.
Shinju sat stiff in the saddle, reins tight in his grip. His horse shifted beneath him, sensing the tension in its rider. He opened his mouth once—then closed it. The wind stole the words before they could leave.
Itsuki rode with easy balance, one hand loose on the reins, posture relaxed in a way that made it obvious he didn't need to prove anything. Captain's presence. Calm. Watching everything.
"…You're really not from the Five Great Nations?" Shinju asked again, quietly.
Itsuki smirked faintly.
"You're late to that realization. What gave me away—my clothes?."
Shinju shrugged. "Not really. But… yeah."
Itsuki laughed.
"So you want to know why I am helping out."
"Not really. Everyone has secrets. Things they don't want to talk about,"Shinju replied.
Itsuki's eyes remained forward
"…I don't talk much," Shinju finally said, voice nearly lost beneath the drumming hooves. "So I'll be straight."
He urged his horse closer, then slowed it to match Itsuki's pace. Their mounts moved side by side now, shoulders almost brushing.
"I want you to train me."
The words came out rough, scraped raw by restraint.
"I've gotten stronger," Shinju went on, eyes fixed forward. "But it's not enough. Not against the shadows. If I am going to face them again, I need to get stronger."
"I want change… that even that word feels too small for what I'll become."
"And what I'll become will be beyond recognition—so far gone that even I can't recognize what's left of me anymore."
"And when I look back… back to where it all started… all I can do is smile."
"A quiet smile at how weak I once was."
"Because weakness… is not just a flaw."
"It's a disease."
"that I must get rid of."
His grip tightened on the reins.
"If we keep moving forward like this, people are going to die. I don't want to be the one they have to carry back. So I'm asking you. Itsuki."
Itsuki's horse snorted softly as he eased it to a slower pace. For a few breaths, he didn't answer. He just studied Shinju from the corner of his eye, a lazy curve to his mouth that didn't quite reach his gaze.
The wind stirred Itsuki's coat. For a moment, he didn't answer
"You know," Itsuki said lightly, "I'm not exactly the teaching type."
"I don't like babysitting. I don't like slow learners. And I definitely don't like people who quit halfway."
Shinju didn't flinch.
Itsuki's smile widened just a bit. Not kind. Interested.
"But…" he added, tilting
his head, "…there's something about you I don't hate. And now I'm curious how far you can really go."
Itsuki's smile sharpened, something intrigued flickering in his eyes. He nudged his horse closer, their saddles nearly brushing.
He straightened in the saddle, eyes forward again.
"I'll train you."
Shinju's chest tightened.
"But only on one condition."
The horses surged forward, closing the gap with Squad Five. The words Itsuki didn't say hung in the space between them, heavy as a drawn blade that hadn't yet fallen.
Chapter —11_Ends.