Hinako was thrust from her seat after hearing the phrases uttered by Sensei Akio. Curiosity started flooding the minds of the Teen Ninjas.

"Sensei? What's going on?" Isoko, who has been quiet since her initial arrival proceeded to raise her first question.

"The star…...it has been….stolen!"

Kumiko's eyes widened in alarm. The rest of the gang was bewildered by the unfamiliar phrase that the Akio spat out.

"Grandfather, What is this star thing that you are talking about?"

Excited by his sensei’s phrases, Kento promptly chose to drop the formalities to interrogate his family elder.

"The creation…...that was protecting your parents...from the poison of the Kōgas! Also known as the STAR OF IZANAGI."

"The...the..Star of Iza…za…gi? What nonsense are you speaking sensei?" Yamazaki's twisted tongue was powerless to properly produce words.

"Sensei Akio, with all due respect, please explain to us,” Kumiko inquired. "What is the star of Izanagi? And what does it have to do with this incident?"

"Yes, grandfather," Kyuzo said, echoing Kumiko's words.

Sensei Akio wasn't quite set to begin his explanation. Kento sensed some sort of guilt in Akio, which he managed to uncover by reading his facial expression.

"Kento…" Sensei Akio started after drawing in a deep breath.

"Well, where should I begin?"

"The star of Izanagi was the thing that was…. well... shielding your parents for a very long time. But now it has been stolen, and my guess is that….it has been……."

"What exactly happened?" Kento wasn’t cutting with his elder’s mutterings.

"Grandpa, please. Why don’t you start from square one?”

"Wait!" As Akio was about to speak, Yamazaki added a fact that partially chilled Kento’s instincts. "If I am not mistaken, Izanagi is said to be the god of creation, right?"

"Correct."

"Yeah. I guess I at least got that right. For some reason, I just happened to remember a folktale that my grandmother told me a long time ago."

"The Star of Izanagi is nothing less than an astounding crystal forged by none other than the deity of creation and life, Izanagi-no-Mikoto with the assistance of his wife, Izanami-no-Mikoto. The crystal consists of eight unique fragments which have been enchanted with the powers of the Takamagahara.”

"Taka...magahara??? Interesting...Sensei," Bubbling with higher levels of curiosity, Kumiko raised her question about the eight fragments.

"What are those eight fragments that build up the star?"

"Citrine of Eagle vision, Tourmaline of Mobility, Emerald of Invisibility, Sapphire of Avatars, Peridot of Summoning, Ruby of Regeneration, Amethyst of Levitation and the final one, the Diamond of Finality. These crystals are also capable of unleashing a special superpower when their legacies are gathered upon one another."

Even after a somewhat digestible explanation, Kento was still bewildered by his grandfather’s words, unable to untangle the strings to understand how the chain of incidents had occurred, that left his parents on an artificial death row.

While his friends were busy punching Sensei Akio with a volley of questions, Kento slowly raised his hand, with the sole hope of untangling the biggest mystery that had conquered his curiosity. As his hand reached up into the air, Akio’s gaze shifted immediately to Kento’s outstretched arm, which then left Kento’s buddies in silence,

“Kento, you may speak.”

“Grandfather, I need to know...Why...I mean why did my parents have to rely on a creation forged with supernatural powers? What is the reason...and what...is that special power that is granted when the might of all the fragments joined?’

"Good question Kento. My fragile mind almost forgot to tell you about it. Well…when all the fragments are joined, the Star of Izanagi has the potential to protect its owner from death till his lifespan decays away."

"You mean to say that, it would protect anyone from anything until the person dies...under natural conditions?"

"Correct," replied Akio.

Kento's confusion only grew more, driving him to make more informal inquiries.

"But then, why did my parents have to rely on such a mystic crystal to shield their lives? What are the factors that have been exploiting the fragility of my father and my mother?"

Sensei Akio sighed, which angered Kento a minuscule amount as the Sensei’s reluctance to impart more details kept on agitating his curiosity.

"Come on Sensei! Tell us!" Kumiko insisted.

"It was…... Takigawa. Tokiyoshi Takigawa."

Gasps escaped the mouths of the teenagers...

"Takigawa! the father of Sensei Keiichi of Kōga! So, you mean to say that, wait I don’t understand...it doesn’t add up! Why did our parents have to get help from the Star of Izanagi to guard their lives? I mean…"

"Listen...Kento. I can feel your perplexity. But I must let you know that your parents never expected me to have to reveal this secret to you three. It was meant to be buried as time passed on. But I am in a condition where I can’t leave you, my mature grandchildren, in the dark any longer. At this point, I am out of options. The prophecy was indeed true as the historical texts say."

Hinako patiently replied in a rather formal tone.

"Sensei, Let us hear your story. Please, do not hold back. Tell us everything, slowly."

He slowly exhaled, then sighed before commencing to unveil a dark secret to his juniors.

"Teen Ninjas, you might already know about all the wrongdoings of the Kōga clan, who acted as our sibling clan for so many years in the past, after the revolution of the Iga province that took place after Oda Nobunaga’s invasion. Many of our ancestors died during that horrific incident until a beam of light shone upon us when our ancestor, Hattori Hanzo, rescued former shogun Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was a miracle to be rising from our ashes following that catastrophe. That’s when the Tokugawa shogunate officially started hiring forces from both Iga and Kōga to serve the country. But…"

Akio momentarily halted his speech to sip a few drops of water. When the sipping momentarily cleared the tension of the current situation from his mind, he continued.

“Unfortunately that circle of brotherhood and friendship was not destined to last much longer. Everything we built over a few years was obliterated into nothingness. All stemmed from an incident that took place at the Edo palace. it sparked a tiny flame that soon was fanned into a wildfire of vengeance, hatred and jealousy as Kōgas framed our ancestors. And that circle of hatred has been striking our village and our family for almost a hundred and twenty years, with an increasing severity every time so that our family members have to pay with their dear lives.”

“Hold on! I thought that Kōgas only started hating us Iga Ninjas about fifty years ago, back during Lord Konishi’s era. Guess I was very wrong, Sensei.” Isoko wiped a few drops of sweat off her forehead as Akio continued his explanation.

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"Children, because of this vicious cycle of hate, our clan’s legacy was meant to be buried deep. Our family members had to lose their dear lives to protect the civilians and the royalties from the crossfire. We were on the verge of extinction until my son, your father, married your mother, a member of the Kashimoto clan. Despite all the disinclinations we received from a few higher-ups of your mother’s clan, it was the only way that our clan would revive. It was the last thing that our enemies wanted to happen. And....that was when the pinnacle of the already dreadful nightmare started to unfold…"

"What are you trying to say, Sensei?"

"They...went on a rampage. A series of operations to hunt down my son and my daughter-in-law, primarily guided by Tokiyoshi Takigawa, the former head of the Kōga province. Their only goal was to seize our family’s bloodlines to prevent our offspring from stepping into this world...and by offspring, I am talking about you...Kento.”

At that moment, the sights of all the people inside the health wing were diverted to Kento. For Kento, it seemed that the whole world had fallen into his hands. While gazing upon his hand, Kento felt a shock of guilt spreading across his entire body. His eyes slightly puffed up but he refused to hide it.

"It’s always me...why...why does everyone have to suffer because of me?"

But the feelings of guilt slowly began to disperse as Kumiko continued to question Akio, continuing the debriefing.

“Sensei, what happened when Kento was about to be born?”

The gang of teenagers could foretell the outcome just by studying Akio’s expression.

“Teen Ninjas, when my daughter-in-law was pregnant with my grandson, our enemies engaged themselves in hunting down both Miyuki and Kento to put an ungraceful ending to our family. Fortunately, due to my countless efforts and the help of the council, we could successfully fend off all of their operations to secure their lives. But they maintained their silence for a long period...only to come up with the most unpredictable counter-attack. When Kento was about to be born into the world, Takigawa executed his most secretive operation that we never saw coming. An attack upon our hometown Iga, with the assistance of his infamous disciples.”

"And what was that, Sensei?”

With a long face readied up on his sleeve, Akio continued.

"The...Arcane...Scarlet Shades. A Black ops Ninja squad originating from the deepest depths of Kōga Town. Their tactics are believed to be extremely brutal and dangerous, causing them to be feared by even the most veteran samurai warriors in the country. Late Shogun Tsunayoshi spent countless hours planning missions to take down the Scarlet Shades, but unfortunately, not even a single squad survived their ultimate weapon."

"And what was their ultimate weapon?"

"It is the Poison. The Poison of Perpetuity. A poison produced by a mysterious recipe only known to the Scarletshades. It’s a feared compound that is considered extremely hazardous as the poison accumulates inside your body and it would never leave unless you die. The Poison is powerful enough to wither your organs in just three days, and the worst case scenario is that.... there’s no antidote to it."

"Holy...it seems like I have been ridiculing the wrong people in a wrong way I suppose. I must say that the Arcane...sc...scar…." Yamazaki started blubbering just as he was about to raise his question. Kumiko decided to volunteer to allow Yamazaki to finish his statement.

"Yamazaki, it's the Arcane Scarlet Shades."

"Yeah, whatever. Sensei, they must have been really tough to face, weren’t they?"

"During that battle, Katsuro along with Kento's aunt and uncle joined me with a team of twenty soldiers to fend off the invaders from Miyuki. I couldn't take any more than twenty because the Shogunate didn't allow me to bring any more reinforcements from the Kyoto Palace. Takigawa and his team managed to eliminate half of my squadron in a flash, leaving Miyuki and Katsuro alone, outnumbered. I couldn’t defend your aunt when she sacrificed herself to provide a distraction to let your parents escape. I unloaded my utmost power to protect your parents…. but…. I FAILED TO PROTECT THEM FROM...”

At that moment the ninjas could feel the intense emotions breaking free from the withered mind of Akio. As Akio’s eyes soaked, the gasps and emotions that expelled from the ninjas’ mouths were sufficient to silence Kento’s heart. As he cast his eyes downwards, a few tears started to escape from the corners of his eyes. Kumiko attempted to comfort him and Akio refused to continue his explanation until Kento decided to look for answers.

"Grandfather, It's okay. I am ready to listen."

"Kento, Takigawa and the shades ambushed your parents with...the Poison of perpetuity."

"How predictable huh…"

Kento’s eyes failed to produce any form of amazement thanks to his deduction which ironically left his fellow teammates excited. Their levels of surprise continued to rise as Kento replied with utmost bitterness.

"Then?"

"Well...putting my life and the entire clan’s existence on the line, I fought with Takigawa in one of the deadliest fights that I have ever fought in my life. I ended up defeating him while suffering uncountable injuries that left me with half of my energy. The Scarletshades immediately surrendered and I returned to your parents immediately. But by the time I had returned to them, the poison had already started consuming their bodies. No matter how much the physicians tried to educate me with the truth, my mind wasn’t ready to lose three more lives after failing to safeguard your aunt’s. I haven’t been broken, shattered and encircled with helplessness in all my life except in that moment. My mind stood broken for a period of time until my mind could remember that peculiar that took place four decades ago…”

“And what could it be?” It was Isoko this time.

“Lord Izanagi’s arrival to the Iga Province.”

They were amazed and lost for words, especially Yamazaki, who wasn't prepared to believe such stories so easily.

Sensei Akio answered before they could reply.

“Yes, I knew that you fine young folks would find it quite hard to believe. But you’ve got to keep trusting me as your sensei. Lord Izanagi appeared in our world after a conflict that took place inside the realm of Kami, disguised as an aged beggar. We both met at a remote location inside the mountains of Iga forty years ago. He handed me the solitaire while he entrusted me with the protection of his creation before he vanished from our world. I already knew that this cruel world wasn't ready to accept such a powerful crystal. Therefore, I assigned a team of Iga soldiers to be sent across Japan to seal each individual fragment of the star in eight different locations, so that it would be kept safe until a worthy person emerges from the horizon."

"And…."

And then an outburst of coughing abruptly escaped Akio's mouth, interrupting the explanation. Kumiko started to feel unsure about her sensei’s condition, as she inquired about health.

"Sensei, please be careful. You shouldn't push yourself too hard."

"I will try my best, Kumiko. Now…As I was saying, when I heard about the unrecoverable condition of Miyuki and Katsuro, I had no choice but to use the power of the Star Of Izanagi. As I told you, its fragments were sealed in eight separate locations in Japan. With only three days remaining on the clock, I recalled some Ninja squads of Iga and sent every single one of them to each location to break the seals and take back the crystals. Fortunately, my team could bring the crystal back in one piece. But I only had two hours until the poison would stop the hearts of my children."

"So?"

"I immediately began the ritual of binding the lives of your parents' to the Mystical Star of Izanagi. The ritual took way longer than I expected. But I was successful. I was on time. I managed to bind the power of the star to your parents, immobilizing and reversing the withering effects of the Poison of perpetuity, rescuing them, and you too Kento."

Kento's heart was now filling with respect and gratitude towards his grandfather, while simultaneously feeling guilty that he would never be able to repay his grandfather for the things he had done for him.

As a way of presenting his deduction skills, Kento presented his hypothesis to the circle.

"I get it. Someway or the other, our enemies have managed to abduct the star and separate them into individual segments, breaking the bond bound by the ritual. So now the Poison that had been dormant in my parents' bodies thus far has turned active, and it has started withering them away. Am I right?"

"Correct, my grandson. You just saved me a lot of time."

"Kento, I gotta admit. You are indeed a genius, just what I expect from a good team leader." Nakamura spoke while admitting that his hypothesis was indeed, the truth.

"So now the only remaining question is... who would have stolen it?" Kumiko asked. "We know that Takigawa has been dead for quite some time. So my guess is….."

"Who else, it’s gotta be Sensei Keiichi. I mean who else possesses a grudge against our village? The only thing that he has been good at is messing with the people of our country and a good bloodbath with Iga clan members."

Then suddenly, the sound of a drawing katana spread across the medical centre, startling the young ninjas. But they were surprised, as the one who had drawn his sword out of his case seemed to be none other than Kento.

Stabbing the freshly drawn steel katana into the wooden floor, Kento responded.

"My family, they have suffered a lot. They have gone through so much misery...just for my...well-being. My aunt…had to lose her life just to keep me and my mother alive. And thanks to those jerks, I was never able to see my aunt's face and experience her love. But...enough is enough. I won't let her and the many sacrifices happened go in vain once more. The Kōga shall receive a proper message to learn to not mess with us Iga ninjas. And I won't let them take away my mother and father's love. I am willing to spill all my blood if it is to save those sacred bonds."

Reclaiming his blade and letting it slide into its casing, Kento spoke in an enthusiastic and lively tone.

"Teen Ninjas, we have a pending mission on our hands."