To Leap Over The Waterfall [Arashi Vs Zato]

Arashi gave Zato a small nod at his declaration, it seemed he had found the strength to do what needed to be done. He'd put up a good fight so far, and Arashi was definitely hurting, but his protege's final test was far from over. Samehada's size had increased a little more with the chakra drain from his strike, and Zato was looking a bit battered but he was still fighting. He'd really grown up so fast. The Hoshigaki felt a swell of pride in his chest for the young man as he knew then and there that he'd chosen his executioner well.

Arashi held the massive blade in his hand off to the side, allowing for Zato to say his peace. His declarations, his goals, his dreams, they all indicated ow much higher Zato was reaching, how much further ahead into the future he was looking. Arashi had long ago completed his goals, his aspirations and dreams won in blood and war. Now he had a new goal: to shoulder the cost alone. Someone needed to pay the piper, someone had to atone for the sins committed during the civil war.

As the massive lightning dragon began to coalesce as the air howled between the two swordsmen, the sheer amount of joy and pride Arashi felt in Zato was evident on his face. Arashi did not fear death, he welcomed it. Craved it. Sought it. But he would take it on his own terms, nobody else's. "Show me!" Arashi roared as he rushed to meet the descending hammer of judgement on high... Though he wasn't quite fast enough to fully block the strike as be brought Samehada up to meet it. The electrically charged construct ravaged his body as Samehada desperately gulped down as much of the chakra as it could. The impact was immense, scorching half his body as Samehada's scales were blasted off from the impact.

Electricity crackled along Arashi's body once Kirin's strike was completed, the right side of his skin covered in electrical burns. Samehada's mouth was twitching, having fed on too much too quickly. With a look of disgust at the weapon, Arashi simply threw it aside and reached down before drawing a simple katana of clearly fine make. "Very nice, Zato! You'll make a fine hero for the Storm. Now..." Arashi Body Flickered forward, pushing through the immense pain in his body as he appeared before his opponent and struck with a swift overhand swing of the blade to try and force Zato down. "What else can you do?! I won't leave the Seven Swordsmen to someone who can only do one eighties!"

Zato was awe struck as Arashi rushed to meet the dragon and remained standing, in another time Zato would've crumbled just by seeing that his strategy had been a failure but not this time. He raised his blade to match Arashi's as lightning crackled forth from the ensuing clash. A small twinge of pride filled Zato's soul as he felt their blades pressing against one another, the attack had absolutely weakened Arashi and for the first time today he knew the battle was won, but..

He knew Arashi wasn't going to go down easy, and to assume that would ever be the case was a gross and despicable slight to his teacher and idol. It was rare that a Shinobi was given the honor to defeat their idol in combat, rarer still that it happened on terms such as these but the Shinobi world had been smiling on Zato for seemingly five years now. Whether his good fortune was a gift from the gods, Karma, or a byproduct of his own grit and determination was for someone far smarter than him to decide, but he could feel in his bones that this current chapter was coming to a close..

And yet for whatever reason, Zato didn't wish to close the cover on Arashi's story yet.. He felt he had so much more to give the world even if he didn't see it himself. Zato would use his off blade, launching a beam of lightning at Arashi's opposite knee while their blades were mid clash. If this had landed and slowed Arashi down, Zato would make a horizontal slash at the opposite knee with the same blade.

The only way to win this fight was to stop Arashi from fighting, and that was exactly what Zato intended to do.

Arashi's shark-toothed grin was wide as could be when Zato blocked his strike with expert precision. This was what he was looking for, someone with the power and skill to pick up where he and his had left off. To truly rebuild from the ground up where they had torn down to start over. While the Hoshigaki was a titan of power and skill with the blade, he'd been slowly getting chipped at this entire battle. Zato was not only a powerful foe, but his lighter load and greater agility made him a perfect counter to Arashi's approach of overwhelming strength and endurance.

Though cruel, he hoped that Zato would understand in time that this was his final gift to the young man: the opportunity to overcome someone he looked up to. Something like that was rare in their world since shinobi often died at unexpected times. Young warriors were often left chasing the backs of the person they'd built in their heads, and sometimes never feeling as if they'd measure up. Arashi didn't want that for Zato, he wanted to instill him in the confidence that he was fully equipped with the skills and tools necessary to make his dreams a reality. A small part of Arashi wished this moment would go on forever, that they could fight, trade blows, and converse in this moment for eternity... But nothing lasts forever. Change was human nature, and to deny that would be the heights of folly.

Then, the shift happened. Zato fired a bolt of lightning at Arashi's knee while their blades were locked as lightning crackled along the young man's weapon. Arashi's leg faltered and he disengaged quickly, using the drop to one knee to deflect the horizontal blow's trajectory upwards and follow up into a slash at Zato's torso, but it was clear.

Zato's victory was close at hand, and Arashi felt himself getting a little misty-eyed at how far his student had come.

As Zato's offensive began to take it's toll and Arashi's counters became easier to avoid Zato was faced with an unfortunate truth. This battle was coming to an end, and he was going to be the winner, if there was to be one at all. While Zato's pride told him to take solace in this moment, to appreciate it as some kind of demented reward for all of his progress and progression as a Shinobi, in his heart he knew that it felt hollow and unreal. Killing a man past his prime who wanted to die was no earned victory, even if Arashi fought his best to make it feel as though it was. Zato lazily parried an upward strike and stepped backwards, the only sounds filling the air now were the crackles of lightning from Zato's blades, and the dripping of blood from Arashi's body interrupted by the shallow breaths of a spent warrior.

Zato would frown, slowly approaching Arashi's kneeling visage with a look of neutrality and understanding. He knew the next steps, the fight was over and now it was time for him to claim his.. prize? Was it even worth being called that at this point? Zato remembered being in the same position Arashi was in now, but he had never taken it with such pride and strength. It became clear to him that even as he had surpassed him in power, the strength and resolve of a Shinobi was something Arashi held in spades, and was still far beyond the levels Zato could muster. Zato lifted Arashi's head with his off blade, remembering when the roles were reversed what Arashi had said to him..

"Mercy is the right of the strong.. and it's an option I'll be exercising today.. Arashi sensei."

Zato smiled softly, sheathing his blade as he extended a hand to lift Arashi to his feet. "I will need to take Samehada back, but you've got more to give back to this world alive than you do as soil."

Arashi felt the wave that had been his life diminishing as it got closer and closer to shore, almost ready to break and disperse with the weight of the sins he had chosen to carry. Sure, he may have been feeling pangs of regret as the images of all the other people he'd be leaving behind flashed through his head. Fuyu, Gina, Ogata, Yume, and on and on it went. They'd be upset, maybe even hurt to learn of his death. And honestly? There WERE lot of things he wanted to do still. He'd managed to discover a passion for teaching youngsters in the last few years with Ogata, Zato, and Yume. Hell, even giving Izumi advice had been a pleasant experience. He'd never even gotten to open that surf shop he always wanted to have. A little shack on the beach with quality, handmade boards and surf wax. Lessons on weekends. A hobby store to foster a community more than make money.

He thought of his country, ready to leave it behind so that it could heal and grow into something great at the expense of all that he was. Feeling Zato lift his head with the young man's off blade, Arashi simply looked up at him with the resolve of a man ready to die and completely unafraid of what he might face on the other side of the veil. His fearless shark-toothed grin slipped into slack-jawed astonishment, however; when Zato threw the words he'd used on the young man what felt like so long ago right back at him. At first, Arashi was furious. He knelt there, beaten and bloody with his breathing coming in ragged gasps and his last wish was being blatantly disrespected before he felt a chuckle rising up in his throat.

That chuckle quickly turned to a roaring, rolling laugh as Arashi simply shook his head. He fell to the ground, rolling and doubled over even as he continued to bleed into the earth as a single realization flashed through his mind from Zato's words. What the hell was he thinking? How arrogant had he been to believe that one life would be enough to placate his sins? By dying, he had hoped to absolve his own sins. To find forgiveness and peace in death. But how could he earn forgiveness from others without forgiving himself?

Eventually, after a good minute Arashi took a deep breath and took Zato's hand with the firm grip of a man willing to try and keep on living as he stood. "You cheeky brat, you're really gonna make me work until I die, aren't you?" His tone was teasing and amused before he clapped Zato on the shoulder. "Sure, take the thing. I was never really suited for it anyways, but... I want you to promise me something in exchange. Samehada is... How do I put this." Arashi paused thoughtfully for a moment before continuing, "Many records have been lost over the centuries, but the Hoshigaki Clan is intrinsically linked with the blade, you know? I suspect it was a Clan heirloom long ago. It would mean a lot to me if you kept that tradition of Hoshigaki clansmen wielding Samehada as members of the Seven Swordsmen going."

The way Arashi had faced death was nothing short of impressive. He'd taken the loss on the chin, and by some miracle it appeared that this one show of mercy, this one show of grace had afforded him all the chance he needed to reset whatever mental block he'd been facing. It was as though all the guilt and madness had melted off his conscious at once, it was as though he had come to terms with both who he was, and what he owed the world from here on out. Zato was glad to help where he could, glad to help the man who'd done so much for him in the way of both inspiration and teaching. A small smile would part Zato's lips as Arashi composed himself. "Hopefully you've seen reason then?.."

Zato's suspicions were confirmed with Arashi thrusting Samehada upon him, verifying that in his current state he had little to no use for it going forward. "Well if you don't work until death I don't see anyone else in the swordsmen that's going to, god knows Fuyu is already practically retired already.."

Zato would give a cheeky grin, then admire Samehada for a minute as Arashi made his request and filled Zato in on the more.. particular details. "I never thought in a million years I'd get to hold this blade honestly, I don't feel worthy of it even though it seems to bark at me.."

Zato placed the blade on his back and smiled. "An heirloom to the Hoshigaki it is then, I'll ensure it arrives to the correct hands when the time is right but for now.. I think the blade and you have both earned a bit of rest eh?"

Arashi flashed a shark-toothed smile at Zato as he handed over Samehada. Looking down at his hand and making a fist, Arashi's smile widened. The weight of that thing had been so heavy for so long that he'd forgotten what it felt like without it. It had come to represent so many negative things for him, but just putting it down felt... Liberating. "Rest, I guess so. There's some stuff I've always wanted to do though... Like teach! I was never allowed to have a Genin squad of my own which always bummed me out. Lady Aokawa probably won't let me have one either, but taking on a direct disciple to train up would be totally tubular. Not to mention, my lifelong dream of owning a surf shop... I'll probably need a new source of income though!"

Arashi chuckled as he made his way over to his bag which was conveniently nearby now that their battle was over and rummaged around in it before pulling out a bottle of sake and two saucers carved with the Hoshigaki clan symbol of a shark's dorsal fin into the base. He then poured them each a portion and held one of the saucers out to Zato with a big smile. "Here, let's have a toast! To my retirement from the Seven... And to the rise of a gnarly new legend, yeah?" Arashi would wait for Zato to accept the offered booze before drinking his portion down in one go and letting out a satisfied sigh. "Of course, if you ever need my help just call me little dude. I owe you that much."

Arashi decided to revisit his dreams and wants and whims post-Samehada to Zato who had no problem sitting down and listening as intently as one could. To hear the whims and dreams of a man he respected so thoroughly, to see new life breathed into his body after an encounter like the one they'd just had was one of Zato's most rewarding moments since he'd become a Shinobi. In truth, he could've died on the spot and been more than content with it. Thankfully for Zato, this was just the beginning of his journey and for now there did not appear to be an end in sight. "When you set up shop let me know, I'll be sure to buy a board the day it opens you have my word sensei."

Once that bit of dialogue was finished, Zato would accept his portion of Sake and toast to the man he called his sensei. Gulping down the booze with reckless abandon before returning the mans pleasantries in kind. "Likewise, we're bonded by blood, blades, and booze now. No bond could ever hope to be stronger than that eh?"

-thread exit-

Arashi let out a satisfied sigh as the alcohol slid down his throat with a cool burning sensation. Today, the sake tasted better than it ever had in his entire life. During the war, it had always had a bitter bite to it, tasting of death and finality. Afterwards, it had been hard to savor the taste of victory. Now though? now the crisp clean flavor spoke to him of the bright future he could finally see. Arashi was just getting started, and he still had plenty of life left in him. "Heh, looks like I don't have anything left to teach you now Zappy." Arashi's lips split into one of his signature toothy grins as he clapped the young swordsman on the back with a loud guffaw. "Keep challenging yourself, and I'm sure you'll grow even stronger!"

Being called sensei was really touching to the large Hoshigaki. He'd truly always wanted to pass something on to the next generation, but all he had to give was his swordsmanship. When he'd been barred from doing even that, he began to feel like he had nothing to offer anyone. Was that when he truly began to feel as if he no longer had a place in this world? Had he truly just given up on himself because of something so trivial? Damn, Zappy really pulled him off the edge there. Looking at the young man now, he could almost see the waves he would make in the ninja world. "I thought of you as a carp before, little dude. But you went and fought the current! You really leapt over the waterfall and became a dragon while I wasn't looking! As your sensei, all I can say is... I'm proud of you. Thanks little dude, really."

-Thread End-