Wow… it's been awhile, hasn't it? Heh, summer break's here though, and I'm pretty much free thanks to the heat. So… yeah. Word of warning for this chapter: It's kinda short. I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things. It's been awhile.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
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Chapter 4: Meetings
"Kyuzo-dono, we will take care of the girl." Tessai said, walking behind Hyugo. Hyugo himself walked behind Kyuzo. To the right of Kyuzo was his apprentice, Naruto, and a bodyguard.
"Are you going to kill the samurai?" Hyugo asked Kyuzo, a small smile gracing his face.
Kyuzo said nothing and kept walking, Naruto trailing behind.
It had been 9 years since he had crafted his blade, and 4 years since Kyuzo had signed on to be the bodyguard of a high ranking merchant. Kyuzo had offered his services to the merchant in exchange for food and shelter for the both of them. They had always obeyed the merchant's orders until now.
Naruto stared at his master with his only visible eye, a questionable look evident.
"You've never gone after samurai before." Naruto said to him when they were out of earshot of the other group, "Why are you going after these ones?"
Kyuzo stopped to look at him, a somewhat playful expression in his eyes. It was gone in an instant, and he turned around and continued walking.
Naruto, however, had stopped and let out a weary sigh.
"Why am I going after them?"
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"How rude!" He heard the samurai say, "There is no way a person would accept such a job!"
The samurai turned on his heel and left, causing the other two to adopt crest-fallen looks on their faces. Suddenly, the one carrying a sword and blue hair tied into a ponytail looked around cautiously.
"Katsushiro-sama?" his companion asked.
The one named Katsushiro quickly put up a front and smiled at her. "It's nothing. I just felt like someone was watching us."
They continued walking, the woman's necklace pointing in them in the direction of several prospective samurai. From in the crowd behind them, Naruto waited and quietly watched.
Several times, the one named Katsushiro looked back as if he knew he was watching them. Then again, he made no attempt to hide it.
They hustled through the crowd, and Naruto trailed behind them. Eventually, it seemed like they decided to give up. They set a definite direction and walked there at a fast gait. They stopped in front of a large set of stairs where a man with graying hair and a graying goatee stood.
"Kambei-sama." He heard the girl whisper, his acute senses picking it up. He walked to the top of the stairs and watched as the two ran down them.
"Sensei," Katsushiro began when they had stopped in front of Kambei, "We couldn't find any samurai…"
"Wait," the old man interrupted, holding a hand up a hand to interrupt the boy, "Are you a samurai?"
Naruto let a little smile at his teacher having been spotted so easily. Out he stepped from where he hid, his blood red coat flapping around him as he walked. He leveled a stern gaze at the group below. Then he nodded his head once.
"So, someone was indeed following us." Katsushiro noted.
"And you," said Kambei, turning to face Naruto, "Are you a samurai also?"
Katsushiro and the woman's eyes turned to face him. Dressed in a dark grey coat like his master with an eye patch going over his right eye, he must have made quite the figure. It would only have been accentuated by the red blonde hair on his head, tied into a ponytail at the back and his only eye which was lined with black underneath, a sign of a lack of sleep.
Naruto smiled, his elongated canines sticking out of his teeth. His right hand went to his wasit, where two hilts were strapped. He grabbed the top one, his katana, and jumped. He went sailing through the air, landing in front of Kambei. He drew his katana and made a horizontal slash at Kambei, who blocked it by only drawing his katana halfway out of its hilt.
"I'm no samurai yet." He told him, before jumping back and holding the katana in front of him.
Kambei withdrew his own katana, and they circled each other.
The other three watched in silence, two of them staring curiously at the unknown attacker.
Each of them waited in silence, analyzing each other for any signs of weakness.
"I am Shimada Kambei. Who are you?"
"Uzumaki Naruto." He replied in turn, before deciding to make the first move. He dashed forward, a wave of dust traveling behind him. He jumped before he got to Kambei, the sword in front of him. Dropping down, he attacked Kambei with a vertical slash. Kambei blocked it with his blade, and Naruto fell to the floor, Kambei struck out with a foot, but Naruto placed one hand underneath him and pushed, propelling himself through the air in a graceful spin.
He landed opposite Kambei and charged once more, ducking below a slash the older man made at his waist. Naruto quickly swung the blade skyward, nearly cutting Kambei in half. If not for his fast reflexes which had made him move out of the way, he would have been dead.
"You have skill." Kambei told him, watching as the boy circled around him cautiously.
This boy held the weapons of a samurai. He held the posture of a samurai. Hell, he even wielded that blade of his with the precision and skill of a samurai. Yet, he was no samurai. This had Kambei confused. Though he was getting on in his years, he knew he could be more than a match for some of the best fighters in this world. But still, this boy, someone he hadn't even heard of before, was able to fight on even ground with him. He was so young as well, yet his skills were almost equal with his. Almost.
He whipped his blade, bringing it before him and pushing the younger man away. Kambei watched as he slid back a few feet, dust sweeping up behind him.
Naruto grinned slightly, seeing the look the older man had on his face. He was so obviously confused by his skill. It was natural. He looked young, but he was good. As his master had always taught him, the mental battle one fought between two opponents is one you must always win.
"Don't worry, oiji-san. My master over there is even better than I." He said, trying to disturb the man even more.
Kambei looked over to the crimson clothed man standing at the top of the stairs who was watching quietly. His eyes were cold and emotionless, betraying nothing to the senses. He held himself high, yet not so arrogantly, so as to appear like a man whom you should respect. From the very way he held himself, Kambei could sense this man was a samurai.
His thoughts were quickly brought to the battle before him, as Naruto rushed towards him, swinging in an expert stroke downwards. Kambei brought his blade up and defended against the strike, avoiding the swipe that followed. He swung with his blade once, one straight thrust towards the boy's middle.
Naruto dodged and struck out with his own blade, impacting against the older man's sword when he tried to block.
They continued like this for a few minutes, exchanging slashes and strikes, a crescendo of metallic clangs sounding through the air as the blades met. The onlookers, disregarding Kyuzo, watched in amazement, and from one, even a hint of jealousy.
'He doesn't even look as old as me, yet he's able to take Kambei-sensei on even grounds.'
More clashes sounded, before the two eventually pulled away. Naruto was panting a little, with a new sheen of sweat on his forehead. Kambei looked as if he had just run a small distance, as he was breathing a little faster than normal.
"So, it seems that you can't pace yourself." Kambei told him, to which Naruto looked annoyed at. Kyuzo only nodded his head in agreement.
"Shut up, ojji-san." responded Naruto, rushing in and slashing with his swords. Kambei jumped into the air and saw Naruto ran under him. Then he felt his chin explode skyward as Naruto shot his foot upwards, nailing him. He flipped into the air and landed lithely on his feet, standing on a precipice a few feet away. Kambei rubbed his chin thoughtfully and Naruto shot him a fox-like grin.
"Naruto-teishou." Kyuzo spoke suddenly. Naruto pouted for a moment, before he schooled his face into a mask of stone. Then he sheathed his sword and walked away, leaving Kambei smiling and two confused young people.
"Sensei?" Katsushiro asked. "Why did you stop?"
As he waited for an answer, Kambei continued smiling. Finally, he sheathed his sword and motioned for the two to follow him.
"We can tell the others to stop searching. We've found our samurai."
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Wow… it really has been awhile. But, I guess you could say I'm back. Heh.
Dokugin
Word Count: 1,561
Page Count: 4…
Time: Do you really need to know?
Next Chapter: A fight between bandits and the joining. Action packed! Well… probably. I'm hoping it will be.