The Legend's Behind the Mask "Swordsman's Era"

Chapter 2: The Man Behind the Mask

He makes his way to the head's room. He was standing near the front door about to enter the room when the man in the middle of the two suddenly stood up in the distance in front of a round table. The unknown swordsman standing behind the door was unaware of Agatsuma Hit's presence.

He walks in as the heads turn to look at him. There were four people in the room, plus two unknown shadow guard swordsmen hiding in the shadows. It was a large room that could fit at least a hundred people. There were two bookshelves next to the windows on the left and right sides of the room. An open window is visible behind the unknown man in the distance. There are also couches near the windows.

"We expected a messenger swordsman to arrive in our village, but we guess not... Get out of here if it's not important, or say it and just leave," the man who stood up said.

"Hmm! Still no shame! I thought you'd changed yourself Warui Rou one of the heads!" he snarled as he stormed into the room and came to a halt next to the door.

"You have the audacity to say that to us? We are the heads of the north! We control them! And we don't care if they suffer!" exclaimed Warui Rou. He was the main head of the North, Warui Rou. Agatsuma Hit stood menacingly as they fell silent for a brief moment.

"Now tell us, Agatsuma Hit, what brings you here?" an unknown head asks the person sitting in the chair in front of a round table. He was on Warui Rou's right side. In his right hand, the unknown man held documents and a pen.

"It's a message for all of the nations... Deploy the finest swordsmen of every nation in every corner outside the village because of a message from every master Shira's currently alive, they've said that they've found Dark Violet Shira Swordsman lurking in the dense forest shadows... Warui Rou! You know what these swordsmans can do," Agatsuma said solemnly as he stood up straight.

"The Valley of the East has been compromised for a couple of years... And now it's been destroyed... According to our information, the Shira swordsman of the East has been protecting these compromised valleys in the shadows... What happened?" Warui asks seriously as he stares at Agatsuma Hit as the unknown swordsman behind the door began to walk towards the round table, causing Agatsuma Hit to look to his right.

It was a tall man, taller than Agatsuma Hit, who wore a leaf mask and carried a light green sword around his waist. He was dressed in light dark boots, a green kimono, and a black coat that he wore outside the kimono of the unknown swordsman.

"I didn't sense you, mind telling me who you are?" the unknown swordsman asks shyly as he approaches the round table and looks at the heads and casts a glance at Agatsuma Hit.

"Warui Rou, you know nothing and are supposed to know nothing about the steps of the other heads in the nations, valleys, or villages... You should mind your own village business and the dangers, I'm here because that danger might occur again, I'm warning you from here," Agatsuma Hit replied to Warui Rou, who sat back in his chair and looked down at his right.

"And you... My name is Agatsuma Hit, Shira Swordsman from the east," Agatsuma Hit replied, turning to his right and looking at the unknown swordsman in the eyes.

The unknown swordsman has brown glowing eyes and long black hair, whereas Agatsuma Hit has red glowing eyes and hair that is light red with a hint of yellow. The unknown swordsman smiled at him.

"Kurisiki, find the other Shira swordsmen and deploy them in the northern and southern valleys, deploy them so this menace leaves here immediately," Warui Rou said to the unknown swordsman named Kurisiki. 

"As you wish, I'll do what I can and go straight to the west of the north to check that mountain," Kurisiki said, nodding to Warui Rou. He also nodded and then vanished.

Warui Rou returns his gaze to Agatsuma Hit, who is staring at him menacingly and emitting a killer intent aura. He was enraged on the inside, but he kept his cool.

"You watch yourself because if we're done with you, I'll cut your head off myself," Agatsuma Hit said calmly as he slowly turned around and saw the shadow swordsman upside down and stepping on the ceiling with both of his feet. That caused him to come to a halt and look menacingly to his left at the shadow guard swordsman.

"Then do it! You'll see my men's wrath! I won't let you step in my front capital or even in my front gate ever again!" Warui yelled furiously as Agatsuma Hit walked out of the room. He walks silently into the hallway outside the head's room and looks down.

"Warui Rou walks in the line and forces himself to become one of the heads of the north wind, then the two other former heads who are currently sitting suddenly got replaced without the other nations knowing... Then the north wind's economy started slowly going down, but the other Informant Shira's said that the money of the heads of the north wind starts going up, tsk! Corruption!" Agatsuma Hit thought as he walked down the stairs, upset.

"I wonder what the others are doing," Agatsuma Hit exhales and inhales. He recalls Tsuyuri Shi, Katrina, Hashibira Kosuke, and Hashibira Komoto as his friends.

Agatsuma Hit turns to his left and walks out into the capital. He walked past bodyguards who nodded to him. He walks down the stairs as he looks up to see the sun shining brightly in the sky and birds chirping.

There were two massive trees outside the capital. The two massive trees served as bodyguards. When those two fall, they fall with them. As Agatsuma Hit walked down the stairs, he turned to the right and looked up. He notices a woman sitting on a tree branch. He made an expressionless face as he noticed Hanako playing her flute.

"I thought I told you to go there now," Agatsuma Hit said, turning to his right and looking up to see her jump and land on the stairs in front of him. She smiled at him as she tucked her flute inside her coat.

"Let's go, I want to wait for you because it's been a long time since we've seen each other," she said cheerfully as she turned to her right and started walking down. The other massive tree, which stood 77 feet tall, was on their right. It was a fruit tree. On the branches of the tree, there were birds and a pigeon.

"Heh. What happened? You don't seem nice after what happened inside," she said, looking at him. As they approach the flat ground, she notices him looking down. They both turn to their right as they walk by some village residents.

"I still hate the heads of this village; I used to love them, but now I don't... I believe they've killed the previous heads... The Gakure's have been hidden, and the Shira's have been on the move," Agatsuma Hit replied as they both looked straight.

"You know, everyone has someone with them, sometimes they're behind... sometimes they're on the side... sometimes they're in front, sometimes they're in your shadow... Everyone has someone behind them, you just don't see it, like me, I always have my sister behind me because everything I do is for her, I want her to live more," she said, her voice shivering and tears streaming down her cheeks.

Agatsuma Hit moves to his right and embraces her. She sobs as he hugs her. She also hugs him while pressing her face against his kimono.

"I... I got a message from a messenger swordsman... She's dead," she said calmly as she kneeled and cried silently. She is crying quietly, with both hands in her face. She wants to scream but is unable to do so. Agatsuma Hit kneels in front of her, seeing her heartbroken because her sister has died.

He reaches for her head with his left hand. He gently pats her on the head as he looks at her, who is still crying quietly. She cries and cries as he stares at her and continues to pat her head. He notices her tears flowing through her hands and falling to the ground.

"That's it... You can cry all you want, but remember that your sister doesn't want you to cry when she sees you... You didn't give her the coneflower, but you should put coneflowers in her graves and remember her till the day you die... She loves you and she said to me back in the day that Hanako is her favorite older sister... She might be in the heavens peacefully with gods if there are gods..." Agatsuma Hit said calmly as he looked up and sees the peaceful clouds moving. He was still patting her in the head as she sighs.

"I know, but she hasn't seen me in a while, and I haven't returned because of those monstrous Darks! I'll make sure they all pay," she raged as she stood, wiping her tears with both hands. Agatsuma Hit is also present. He reaches for his mask, which he removes with his right hand.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Hanako; I wish you peace and comfort," he said as he saw her start walking. She ignores him as he notices her looking down, and tears well up in her eyes.

"Give me time... I walk on my own for now," she said calmly as Agatsuma Hit appeared quickly behind her on her left side. He taps her on the left shoulder, causing her to come to a halt and look to the left.

"Take care," he said after seeing her nod and said thank you. She started walking and then vanished into the distance. Agatsuma Hit looked up at the sky and then sat down on the floor, unaware that Katrina was approaching behind him.

"Did I do something wrong?! I'm not the best at giving advice and her little sister is such a lovely girl who died because of a not curable illness... I hate living in this world because I always see suffering and destruction and loss of loved ones but that's the cycle, even pain is the hardest one," Agatsuma Hit thought as he looked down and Katrina tap him on the right shoulder, making him stand and quickly turn around.

"Hey! Who is that? Is that Hanako?" she exclaimed as he noticed Katrina, who was her mask on her upper right shoulder hanging. She has a lovely face and a small nose. She has bright pink glowing eyes and the demonic aura. A demon presence is among the five of them which is her.

"Yes, it's Hanako, her sister died, she's heartbroken, and she couldn't give her sister the flower she requested because of a mission, it's a hindrance," Agatsuma Hit replied as he looked up and closed his eyes.

"Huh! I see you comforting her a minute ago, did she say give her time? If that's the case, then she can do whatever she wants alone, with you... Or alone!" she said, making a suspicious face and smiling at him.

"I lost her again, I don't know how to console someone now she'... She's just outa here or looking for the cone flower in that land," Agatsuma Hit said as he turned around and started walking. Katrina followed him from behind, and she began to walk as she noticed the bodyguards outside the capital staring at her.

"Have you heard that man behind the mask?" Katrina inquired, looking down. She walks to the right of Agatsuma Hit, who is sad.

"No, why? And what do you mean, the man behind the mask?" Agatsuma Hit inquired, looking to his right and seeing Katrina with serious eyes.

"The man behind the mask is said to be one of the Shira's of the south. We haven't received any commands, reports, or messages from the messenger swordsmans of the east, but Shimodo Rou said that whatever happens... Protect everyone," she replied, looking up and seeing the birds flying in the sky.

"Shimodo Rou is one of the greatest Heads born in this generation, and I believe that every master is here in this village the north wind because the air is intense and the wind direction is different, like they won't want to go in one direction," Agatsuma Hit said as he looked around.

"If every master is here, the Shira's must be in the dense forest in other villages... Then there's no one guarding outside the dense forest of this nation, huh! Classic heads," Katrina said as they both heard footsteps approaching them from behind.

"Like I give a little care about darks, you use red thunder lightning if they want to scratch this village they will first need to fight the masters and the former master in this village if you're right," Katrina said, looking at him.

"We're looking for Master Kiroshuku or his student named Fudo Toka or I guess his son, well-adopted son," she said, looking to her right and turning behind her. She came to a halt, her face expressionless, as she noticed Hashibira Kosuke and Hashibira Komoto standing menacingly in front of her and behind him.

"Agatsuma Hit, you looked like you were hit in the head by a giant tree, what happened? Did a girl break your heart, making your presence soft?" Hashibira Komoto said menacingly as he saw Agatsuma Hit slowly turn around.

"Hey! You don't know what happened! Ask first before you say anything!" she said, lightly punching him in the face. Suddenly, three of them looked to their right and saw Agatsuma Hit, who was furious and had the killer intent aura behind him. The three of them tremble as Hashibira Komoto raises his hands and widens his eyes.

"I didn't mean it, Capt! I apologize!" he shivered as Agatsuma Hit approached him and smiled with a killer intent aura in his presence. Suddenly, he reaches for Hashibira Komoto's kimono with his right hand.

"I'll say it again: remember to ask before you say anything... You hear me?" he said calmly, looking him in the eyes as he wore his mask. He turned around, letting go of his Kimono. Hashibira Komoto and Hashibira Kosuke were both sweating as they turned to their right and saw Katrina hiding behind a massive tree, tears streaming down her cheeks.

They notice Agatsuma Hit starting to walk. Katrina moves quickly toward him. Hashibira Kosuke and Hashibira Komoto came up behind him. They were walking down a path, looking ahead. 

With his left hand, Agatsuma Hit slowly reaches for his mask on his right top shoulder and slowly returns it to his face. He looks up and sees the clouds and birds again.

"Where's Tsuyuri Shi? I haven't felt him in a while, and I thought he was with you three," Agatsuma Hit asks as he turns around and comes to a halt. They all came to a halt as they stared at each other. 

"He said he'll be eating udon at his favorite restaurant, he said he'll be back in an hour," Hashibira Kosuke replied as he saw Agatsuma Hit nod and turn around and start walking.

"I see... Then he must be going back to his old house where his mother lives, but that shouldn't take long, since he's only there to look at his mother, let's split up when we get to that round land of this village, the mission is to find Master Kiroshuku and say to him the commands from every nation," Agatsuma Hit said solemnly as they all seemed to agree.

In Kiroshuku's house. Fudo Toka was carefully walking down the stairs when she noticed her master sitting on a chair with his eyes closed.

She walks in front of him as she reaches the first floor of the house. She locks her gaze on him. She placed her teddy bear in his lap, which drew his attention to it.

"Sorry, I thought if I put Mr. teddy bear you should be able to have a nice dream," she apologized, prompting Kiroshuku to smile and tap her on the head once more. She takes her teddy bear from his lap and sits correctly in the chair.

"I'll be gone again for a while... Fudo Toka, make sure you eat properly 3 times a day, I have foods in stock in the cabinets, and remember to fix your bed every morning you wake up," Kiroshuku said calmly as he saw that made Fudo Toka worried.

"All right," she said nervously as Kiroshuku grabbed her with both hands, placed her on top of his lap, and hugged her. She also hugs him, which puts them at ease. They both exhale simultaneously.

"If I don't return... A messenger swordsman will take care of you, he's a swordsman like me but she's a girl and I'm sure she'll take care of you and don't be stubborn," he said calmly as he placed her down.

"Don't say that! You made a promise! Please, I don't want to lose anyone else," she sobbed as she sat down and hugged her teddy bear. Kiroshuku looked up at the ceiling and remembered making a promise.

"Okay, stop crying, calm down, I will keep my promise, but make sure you keep your promise, Fudo Toka, become a swordswoman, you're already at the level of the finest swordsman you have talent," he said, and Fudo Toka stopped crying, smiled, and hugged him again. She let go and carefully walked upstairs as Kiroshuku leaned back in his chair, remembering something. He closed his eyes and began to reflect.

"The Man behind the Mask always irritates me, Tsk! Kuro must survive in order for us to win, the Shira's cannot be found in the regions and villages because they're on an important mission, almost all Shira's can do magic and as a result some are becoming greedy and can't think straight, dimensions exist and we can't let those Darks Lurk around in those dimensions if they do they can kill every master in this world... And me," Kiroshuku thought as he inhales and exhales and he notices the wind blowing strangely outside.

He rose to his feet and slowly opened his eyes. He notices the sudden silence as he looks up the stairs. He walks up, suddenly turning on his senses and noticing Fudo Toka standing and looking out the balcony.

He turns to his right and grabs his sword from the wall. He grabs it with his right hand and moves his gaze to the left. He turns to his right once more and sees Fudo Toka standing and looking into the distance.

He walks up to the balcony and pats her on the head. Kiroshuku's eyes widen as he notices a massive green tornado in the distance outside the village of Northwind. He holds his sword tightly in his right hand as he stands up straight and looks.

"Is that a tornado?... But that's... No! It's wreaking havoc in a small village... Is this a sign? No is there a fight going on in that village? We can see it even here, I'm inside the village and my two-story house was built inside the main village north wind mountain, that is a sign of war is coming," Kiroshuku thought as he put his sword in his right waist and grab Fudo Toka with both of his hands and put her on a chair and sat.

When he turns around, his eyes widen as he sees a massive violet sword approaching his house. He turns around and grabs Fudo Toka with both hands before leaping to his right with both feet.

When the giant sword struck his two-story house, it completely destroyed it, causing the air to blow towards him, propelling him even higher. He flew backwards, searching for the unknown who threw the sword.

As soon as he stepped onto the ground, civilians began running all over the place, panicking. Kiroshuku looked to his left, as did Fudo Toka, and saw that their house had been destroyed. As he senses someone approaching from behind, his eyes widen and become serious.

When he turns around, he sees a Violet Dark Swordsman swing down his sword at him, which he quickly avoids by stepping back. The Violet Dark notices that he is still carrying Fudo Toka.

The violet Dark wore a violet demon mask and held a sword in its right hand. The violet dark pointed its blade at him. The unknown was dressed in a violet dark kimono with violet energy flowing around him.

"Pathetic humans, they don't stand a chance, and you see how easily we infiltrated this village an-" the Violet Dark Swordsman interrupted himself as he was stabbed from behind. The unknown abruptly removes its mask, spits out violet fluid on the ground, and explodes abruptly.

"Hey!" Kiroshuku exclaims as smoke blows toward him. As he senses an unknown swordsman swinging in the air, he puts his right arm in front of him.

As the smoke cleared, his eyes widened as he noticed a familiar swordsman standing heavily wounded and missing his right arm. Blood is dripping from the side of the mouth of the unknown heavily wounded swordsman, and his eyes have widened. Kiroshuku rushes towards the unknown swordsman, who slowly kneels.

He approaches the unknown swordsman, who is exhaling heavily. He lowers his sword to his right side and slowly raises his head, noticing Kiroshuku approaching him with a child in his hand.

"Kiroshuku? Their target is you! They know you've infiltrated the dark dimensions. The information you hold must be disseminated to the other masters, or it will be too late," the unknown swordsman said, heavily breathing and feeling dizzy.

"They've arrived... They're fighting the other monsters, which are the Dark Violet Shira Swordsmans and the Dark Mobs, and Hiroshi Gakure has seen fighting using the Fierce wind tornado technique," the Unknown swordsman said in a weak voice.

"Stay with me! Don't die! I need you to stay alive, Fudo Toka, don't leave," he said as he tore his kimono in his left arm, then reaches for the swordsman's right arm and stops the bleeding by wrapping it in cloth and tying it tightly. The unknown swordsman grunted in pain as he looked down.

"The other masters in this village have been alarmed... Come with them and leave the child with me," the unknown swordsman said, turning around when he saw Kiroshuku nod and turn around.

"Listen, Toka, come with him and get to a safe place, wield a blade if needed to protect yourself, I'll give you a new one if it snaps again into two, you leave the village I will quickly come to you once I'm done, his a fine man help him stand if he can't stand I'll be joining in the fight and you'll be with the finest swordsmen in this village, take care, I'll be back," Kiroshuku said in a kind low voice as he sees Fudo Toka nodded and tears out. 

He quickly turned around and helped the unknown swordsman stand before walking alongside Fudo Toka. The unknown swordsman grabs his sword from the ground with his right hand and places it back in his sheath on his left waist.

Fudo Toka runs alongside the unknown swordsman, holding his right hand in hers. Kiroshuku looked behind him again before looking straight ahead into the distance.

He straightened her neck and noticed a violet dark portal opening in the distance. He notices an unknown violet dark shira swordswoman emerge from the portal, holding the head of an unknown Shira swordsman. She had a menacing appearance.

Kiroshuku gradually draws his sword and assumes a defensive stance. He pointed his blade down, looking menacingly at the familiar face of the unknown dark violet shira swordswoman.