Jiraiya's First - Part 1

Minamoto no Yoshinaka, Jiraiya's first

Prologue

In the city of Kuma once lived a powerful daimyo. He had gained his wealth through the exploits of war, misusing his unquestionable power as a high ranking military leader, having been assigned to guard the city as it was a point of interest for many warring tribes at the time. He kept the city in a clenching grip, claiming it as his own. Many, he convinced that they would not stand on their two feet had it not been for him. Those who stood up against him were killed at the spot to set an example, often strung up on his wooden fortification around the city to further induce his point.

Long after his time as a guardian, once the city was considered in danger no longer, he maintained his tight grip of the city through his many followers, susceptible enough to think that he was the sole reason they were still living. If that wasn't enough to keep the people at bay, the fear was, as fear always is. Minamoto no Yoshinaka ran the city like a prisoner's camp, letting a river of corruption flow through the place. Minamoto no Yoshinaka established a special police force, striking down hard on criminals. The people saluted him for his dedication towards keeping the city free of crime, never thinking twice to realize that he was only making sure there was no competition around, while at the same time keeping the only form of law enforcement in his own pocket.

It was when Minamoto no Yoshinaka started recruiting young boys into his private army called [undecided] that the people started grow wearier. Many of the young boys were just as Minamoto no Yoshinaka’s first followers; instead of seeing him as the power hungry tyrant that he was, they saw a hard working man in the progress of creating what could very well become the new center of power in Japan. They all went when they were called in. Those who didn't go willingly were convinced by their parents to go, as they knew what would happen with their child if it refused.

For years the recruiting continued. Then the riots began. The more boys that were recruited, the louder the parents shouted in protest, demanding that Minamoto no Yoshinaka would send the young boys home again. The reply was swift and merciless. Mass executions were held as central events in the city. Never had there been so much blood in the streets. But Minamoto no Yoshinaka’s scare tactic had failed, as he had now forced the rioters to unite, and before he knew it he had a civil war on his hands.

People of high rank started vanishing, reappearing later; hanging from the inside of the city walls. There were more mass executions, more assassinations. Minamoto no Yoshinaka realized that if he didn’t alter his methods there would soon be no more people left to control. It was then that he was struck with the cruelest yet most brilliant plan of action. The young boys recruited throughout the years were almost grown up, early on corrupted by his poisonous words and promises, ready to blindly do his bidding, no questions asked, no conscious weighed. And so they did. He dismissed the few heads in command he had left, and reinstated the young boys instead, setting them up against their very own parents by birth. The boys, having been forced into battle many times already, forced to steal; rape and kill, no longer recognized the disturbed faces of their parents. But the parents instantly recognized theirs, and saw no other way besides admitting their defeat.

The city went back to being a volcano waiting to yet again erupt into a blazing lightshow of self-destruction. A few rebels were still alive, most of which being the families that had managed to keep their son in hiding, or never had one. But they were not united anymore. Spread all over town they could do very little besides keeping the fainting hope alive, while trying to keep themselves from being killed. And it is here, centuries after the beginning of our story, that the Dreamrunner makes his first appearance.

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