A story snippet for Skype Chat

[Nasdaq]

In the murky realm of the past, there exist countless threads of time and choice that exemplify the essence of the question of possibilities. Abandoned to history, these threads of chance lead to futures in the extremes of similarity and difference to that of the one we know, worlds where any number of changes could lead to radical differences in the world we all know. Most of these worlds remain only briefly glimpsed in the corner of our minds-eye, known only when we consider their existence as a mental exercise, rather than an exploration of practical history. This is one of those worlds, brought into focus for consideration.

Imagine a world where the shinobi was shunned rather than embraced, where a different code of war and power ruled, one of the blade and the bushi, warriors of mind and of body. Imagine this world, one where it was samurai, sworn to the code Bushido, reign as the supreme military power, and where ninja are thought of as scoundrels, where the tailed beasts were split into even smaller beings, and where the Daimyo is the supreme warrior of their lands, each vying for a shot at becoming the Shogun of a unified Empire.

This is a world where foreigners lurk to the west and south, where national unity is a front for internal turmoil and conflict, and where men are defined by the lord they swear to. A world where a young orphan, ward of the ruling Sarutobi Family of the Senju Clan of Hakyō, who goes by the name of Naruto faces his gempukku, a coming-of-age ceremony where they will choose their formal name, and where he will take the first steps in his self-proclaimed journey to become the Shogun of Tenkoku, the Heavenly Empire, and the representative of the Tennō, the Heavenly Sovereign, himself.

That is, if he can make it to the ceremony on time.

┌

Hinata fidgeted in her kimono, the elegant gown being remarkably comfortable for a garment so obviously designed for fashion over practicality. The silken outfit was quite traditional, as was expected by a family as prestigious and old as the Hyūga, but after generations of these events, amongst others, they had learned that it was far easier to maintain the poise and grace expected of them with comfort and when your flowing, elegant robes weren't riding up and pinching you in seventeen bad places. Nevertheless, the young Hyūga remained uneasy, fidgeting out of nervous habits as she scanned the assembled youths who were to receive their formal name.

It was a formality, in truth, as nearly all those present would not be changing their name; many simply continued to use their 'child' name; others had a separate name that had never been truly used, having always used their 'adult' or formal names. A select few would be choosing a new name, though outside of courtly introductions it was unlikely ever to see much use. Hinata, whom had been named by her late mother, was one of the first, one of the many things that had always set her apart from the rest of her clan.

She was kneeling amongst the female members of her generation, only a few over half a dozen at most. They were knelt in seiza across from the males of their generation, a group that outnumbered the girls by nearly half again as much. She saw the young children of the Aburame and Inuzuka families, the newest of the legendary tactical minds of the Nara clan, though this boy seemed to be utterly uninterested in any of the pageantry of the day. The youngest son of the Uchiha's clanhead was also present, the serious looking Sasuke with whom so many of her fellow females were smitten. He was clutching the sheath of his wakizashi with white knuckles, a fact that stood out to the equally nervous Hyūga. Somehow, however, she doubted they shared much else in common.

The room was well lit, almost more a shrine than an office; the seat of the daimyo of the city of Hakyō, capital of Hi no Kuni, and amongst the most prosperous country of the Tenkoku. The position of leadership was currently led by Daimyo Sarutobi, a man who had resigned his post years prior. However, prior to his fulfillment of plans to go join a monastery, as many retired samurai did, he instead was forced to resume his post after his chosen successor was felled during the Fourth Day of Transgression nearly thirteen years prior. The day that the young Fourth Daimyo of Konoha, Namikaze Minato, stood up to preserve the borders of the empire and was felled in the process, leaving behind a legacy of skill, honor, and, of course, something more tangible as well...

Her lavender eyes turned to the crowd, unable to find the boy she was so desperate to find. She saw her father there, head of the Hyūga family, alongside his brother, his yojimbo and head of the Daihyūga. Her cousin, who had received his daishō a year prior, was all but officially her own yojimbo, a fact that did not entirely sit well with the young girl; she cared greatly for her family, but Neji gave her looks some time that caused strange things to rise in her; they were not looks befitting the defenders of the Hyūga.

The young heiress cursed her timidness, unable to speak of any such things to her father. Hiashi Hyūga was a pampering father, and Hinata always worried what would happen if her beloved child was to implicate the son of equally beloved brother. She fidgeted at the thought of it, adding only more anxiety to her mind in the process. Why mush she always do that to herself? It took her a great amount of fortitude to break her mind away such thoughts, returning to her previous attempts to locate the young, blond-haired and blue-eyed ward of the daimyo, a boy with whom she was more than a bit taken. Alas, no matter how she tried, she could not find him.

Forcing her mind to shift again, she turned her focus to the daimyo, whom had just stood up to address the assembled members of the clan. She made a small prayer of thanks as she appraised his armor, concluding there was no way it could be comfortable, and was more than a bit relieved that the young samurai-to-be were not required to wear armor to their gempukku. Even her lighter and more agile armor would be more than a bit uncomfortable, and she could only imagine how the far older daimyo felt in his far heavier gear, ornate despite it's clear signs of battlefield use. A haori, or overcloak, of white and red settled over the gear, which was colored the same deep red, laced with white, and accented with small ivory designs of leaves and apes.

She settled in, mentally forcing herself to stop her nervous shifting as her lord began to speak.

“Four generations ago,” he began, holding up the larger part of his daishō, the long-bladed katana, in the process, “Our divine lord, the Heavenly Emperor himself, gave a daishō to two men, his sons both, as a symbol of their allegiance to him. His eldest, a strong and mighty warrior who believed in the power of body, favored the longer of these blades, the katana. He trained with that blade, becoming a consummate warrior, unable to be bested in armed conflict. He was the first Bushi.”

He paused for a moment, lifting his other hand in the process, holding up the smaller of his weapons, the shorter wakizashi, “His second son was a powerful man as well, but in a different way. He believed in the power of spirit, and harnessed the elements in himself and around him to fight. He favored the shorter blade, unable to muster the skill to fight with it's longer counterpart compared to his brother.”

The daimyo lowered the two weapons, tucking them back into his obi in the process.

“From the west, beyond the limits of empire, a dark force rose. A horde of demons and wild men, intent on destruction and evil, came sweeping into the lands under the protection of the Heavenly One. He sent his sons to hold the line, and hold the line they did. Followed by their most loyal retainers, his sons fought off waves and waves of the demon-men mounted on evil steeds and whom refused to engage in honorable warfare. However, they were but mortals, even with divine blood, and could not hold out forever against the power of the gaijin menace.

“It was then that the Heavenly One appeared amongst his loyal sons, bringing with him the power of the greatest demon in the land, a beast of ten-tails. Binding the beast's spirit to him and using it's power to form an army from it's essence, the birth of the Tailed Races. Inspired by the power of their lord and empowered by his reinforcements, the forces of the Heavenly Emperor pushed the gaijin out. However, the Emperor knew they would never retreat forever, for they lusted for the glory and riches of the Empire.

“However, even knowing this, the two sons soon came into conflict, attempting to decide who would succeed their father. Seeing their paths would lead only to destruction, and knowing that both sons would be needed to fight off the gaijin menace once again, the Heavenly Emperor declared that neither would succeed him, and realized he had no place to pass from this world. Refused to die, the Emperor instead declared his Heavenly Empire, and has ruled ever since. His two sons were declared his first Samurai, and he sent them forth to found Clans that could serve him and raise the army that would be required to fight for him when the gaijin returned, as the Tailed Races had been exhausted, and fled to rebuild their numbers.

“The sons chose their greatest followers to start houses and families, whom they gathered into clans. Amongst these, first founded by the brothers, was the Senju Clan, centered in the city of Hakyō. And now, generations later, we continue to serve.”

[spudman]

This is really going for an alternate history of things, and so far I like what you're doing with it.

I'm guessing these western invaders have technology that doesn't involve chakra? What level of tech could be expected here? Would there be more to them than just "the foreign enemy"?

[Nasdaq]

They are more Mongols, and would use powers that are not like chakra but seem similar. This is to get the feel of them being different, yet not SO different. Which is the point, as they become secondary when a 'western' foe shows up with firearms and powers totally unlike chakra and all. It's intended to invoke the concept of a 'known fear' vs. an 'unknown fear.'