The Seventh Swordsman

I am Death

The clouds continued to roar and unleash torrents of rainfall across the earth without mercy. It had been this way for almost an entire day as Mangetsu watched the fury of nature from the shelter of his cave.

The winds were getting more dangerous and random lightning strikes made it impossible for their squad to venture further into enemy lands without avoiding the risk of detection or damage.

It was why their Commander had ordered them to bunker down in this cave for the time being and await further orders from him.

"Oi, isn't the Commander too edgy lately?" asked Ameyuri with a frown, even as she ate her not so pleasant rations.

"Yeah. He has a real axe to grind against Kumogakure and especially the Kinkaku" commented Kisame with a grin, as he continued to drum his fingers against his ordinary sword.

"About that, during the Battle of Osaka I witnessed something strange. The Kinkaku are feared across the world, those bastards even captured the Second Hokage. Yet they pissed their pants and ordered a retreat when they saw the Commander standing against them. If the mere thought of fighting the Commander scared the Kinkaku..." whispered Haku hesitantly,

Mei tried not to say anything even as the swordsmen were chatting amongst themselves. Majority of them were intrigued or terrified of the Commander's past and what impact it might have on this mission. She glanced at Mangetsu and saw him staring at the outside forest where the Commander had went ahead to scout.

"Most of you cannot understand what the Commander has lost, not unless you step into his shoes" advised Mangetsu quietly,

"What do you mean?" asked Jinpachi with a frown,

"It's his destiny to fight against the arch rivals of his clan because of whom he's the last Namikaze in this world" said Mangetsu seriously,

Mei perked up as her inner nerd couldn't help but be interested to hear out the Hozuki heir. Even in Kirigakure, not much was known about the Namikaze clan except for the fact that while they were a small clan; their power was not something to scoff at. Few of their clan members were renowned to be one of the most powerful shinobi of their era until the entire clan was wiped out.

"The story began during the Clan Wars Era, while everyone knows about the Uchiha-Senju rivalry not many know about another clash between two equally skilled clans. Both of them were feared for their speed and power. While the richer nations hired the Uchiha and Senju alongwith their allies to secure their interest, the smaller nations with limited resources hired the Namikaze and Kaizen clan" explained Mangetsu,

"Kaizen clan? I'm afraid I have never heard of them" said Zabuza with a frown, earning a nod from the Mizukage's son.

"I'm not surprised you don't know since they gave up their clan name when they joined the Land of Lightning. However, what may surprise you is the fact that two of their members became Kage" said Mangetsu seriously,

"You mean the First and Third Raikage?" asked Haku in surprise, earning a grim nod in return.

"The current Raikage is also a part of the Kaizen clan. The Uchiha and Senju were known for mass conflict but not every nation could afford their services. There were times when a more subtle approach was required, the Namikaze and Kaizen clans were feared for their speed. Both clans were never a match for the mighty two clans but had produced some of the finest blackops shinobi in the world. While the Uchiha and Senju fought in the light, the Namikaze and Kaizen fought in the shadows for their respective clients. But as the war dragged on, their numbers started to dwindle due to endless conflict. It finally came to an end when the Uchiha-Senju formed an alliance which forced others clans to join new factions. This is where the Namikaze clan made a critical mistake" revealed Mangetsu,