Karakura. A small village within the Water Country about 10 miles away from Kirigakure. It was a commoner village, full of average every day people. Being so close to Kirigakure no Sato, many of Kiri's missions came from this little village. The village wasn't too big, only containing about one hundred people, roughly. It was one of those places where each and every person knew one another. So, when a stranger would come into town, people would take notice quickly.
A young man entered the village, walking slowly, his head aimed down towards the ground. His blond hair reached his shoulders, his bangs stopping just before his eyes. As he tilted his head down, his bangs covered his face mostly, hiding his lonesome expression. He wore neither average attire nor the attire of a Shinobi, but the robes of a samurai. They were a deep dark grey with black accents here and there. At his left side was a black katana, a long grey sash hanging off the end of the hilt and wrapping around the sheath. He walked through slowly, attracting the stare of many citizens, though he did not take notice. He didn't really care in all honesty. He had left his home within the Iron Country months ago. The way the country was being run, he just couldn't stand it. They had began to go against everything he believed in, everything he stood for, everything the samurai stood for. They never really were too fond of him either anyways. Despite being a samurai, he had also been trained in the ways of the Shinobi. They felt that he was a liability, prone to turn on them at any moment. It was only a matter of time before they had come to kill him or kick him out.
He had become homeless after that, unable to find work. He had survived so far moving from village to village, peddling for money and food. It felt horrible to be have to resort to such a life style, but he had no choice at the moment. He had nowhere else to go. All of his family was back within the Iron Country and they didn't seem too concerned about him, as they made no attempts to help him when he had informed them of his choice to leave the country.
An abandoned building stood off to one side of the street, a shopping district on the other. It seemed like a good enough area. He removed his katana from his belt and sat down on the ground with his back against the building. Both of his knees were up, his katana to his side resting on his shoulder as he continued to stare at the ground. He set down a small bag which he carried with him, containing all the money he had left so far, which wasn't much. He intentionally left the bag open next to him, knowing that people would understand what he was asking for: Spare change. Shame was the only word that could describe what the samurai felt sitting here, begging for money like a bum. It was degrading. It was dishonorable. But, it did beat being back under the tyranny of the Iron Country. He couldn't even bare to think about returning home. No, that place wasn't his home anymore. He had to stop thinking about it that way.
He sat with his head still bowed. Every 10 minutes or so, he could see the feet of someone walk by, stop for a brief moment, and then walk away as he heard the clang of a few coins falling into the pouch he had set next to him. At least there were still good people in these times. He had begun to think that any sense of kindness and generosity had been wiped from this planet. The day went on and his pouch slowly filled. He knew that, at least for the next few days, he wouldn't go hungry. Now, he only had to solve the matter of where to sleep. Sitting in the same spot all day had, oddly, made him quite tired. He began contemplating getting up and finding a nice sheltered area to sleep in, when something rather unexpected happened.
In front of him, a pair of feet approached him, stopping in front of him as usual. Judging by the feet, which he could see through the sandals, it was a female. She stood for a moment, but the sound of coins clanging never came. What was she doing. "Hey." A beautiful voice spoke. It was the first time someone had talked to him since he had begun begging for change. He slowly tilted his head up to face the person. In front of him stood a young girl, about 20 years old. She had long and silky red hair, the left side braided. Her kimono had a rather pretty floral pattern. He looked up into her eyes and found himself lost. They were of a deep blue, looking like an ocean. He felt he could almost see waves in her eyes. She was stunning. "It's gonna rain tonight." She spoke to him, sounding rather...concerned?
The samurai stood, brushing off his clothes. He sealed up the pouch and put it back under his robes, attaching his sword to his belt. "Thank you for warning me." He replied kindly, turning and beginning to walk away.
"Wait a second!" The woman shouted after him. He stopped, turning a bit and looking over his shoulder. As he looked back at her, she blushed a little. "Um...you can...come stay with me for the night if you have nowhere to go." She looked at the ground nervously before returning her eyes to his. "I wouldn't want you to get sick."
His eyes widened a bit in surprise. After months, no one had ever made such an offer to him, much less even speak to him. He was taken aback for a moment. Generosity really hadn't disappeared after all. He gave her a smile and turned completely, walking back to her. "Thank you very much." He gave a bit of a bow to show his gratitude. She giggled a little. Together, the two of them walked through the streets, making a couple turns and ending in front of a house. She removed a key and unlocked the door. The place was small, but cozy. Upon entering, they would enter the dining room. The kitchen was right after that. To the left was a sort of living room area and then next to that were two doors; one leading to a bedroom and one to a bathroom. It was one of those small enclosed spaces that actually felt comfortable.
"You have a very nice home." The samurai complimented her. She giggled a little.
"Are you kidding? This place is tiny!" She retorted.
The samurai smiled. "I like it though." He walked into the living room area, looking around and out the window. The sun was setting, making the sky glow golden and purple. It was quite beautiful.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I never introduced myself!" The woman blurted. "My name's Hanako."
The samurai smiled. "That's a beautiful name." He replied. Hanako blushed madly, turning her head away and covering her smile with her hand. "I am Kaien." He replied. She gave him a smile back.
"A very cute name." He stood for a moment, letting the compliment sink in. He had never had such a compliment before. "So, what do you want for dinner?" Her voice came from the kitchen, followed by the banging of pots and pans.
"Oh, no. I have money. You don't nee-"
"You're my guest. Of course I'm going to feed you!" Her voice was full of cheer and joy. She really seemed to enjoy his company.
Smiling, he sat down in front of the table with his knees under the table. "Whatever you feel like making." He wasn't a very picky person.
Spread out in front of Kaien was a table full of food. So many different things to choose from. Hanako was really quite sweet. He looked up from the food and up to her as she made her own selections, building her plate. Throughout his life, he had generally been a very introverted person, not caring much about relationships with people, whether they be friendships, family, or any other kind of relationship. Though, he felt warm inside when he was within her company. Despite only meeting her hours ago, she made him feel wanted. She restored his sense of importance to the world. He began picking up various items of food as well, building his own dish. "Thank you very much. You don't know how much your kindness means to me." He spoke.
She giggled. "It's fine. I don't mind helping out a person in need. I like the company anyways." At the end of her sentence, a look of depression crept onto her face for a brief moment, appearing as if she were almost on the verge of tears, though she cleared it quickly. It wasn't Kaien's place to ask her, at least not at the moment, so he ignored it, figured he'd ask if it came up again. Once the two had finished eating, Kaien got up and began grabbing the various plates, walking into the kitchen with them. "Oh, no. You don't have to do that." She retorted, getting up and attempting to grab the plates from him.
He gave her a kind smile. "Nonsense. It's the least I can do to repay you." He replied. She could tell by his tone and his face that he would not back down. He was one of those people who must repay every favor given to him. She backed away, allowing him to take the dishes and clean them. As she watched him, she noticed that he still had his katana secured on his side.
"Why don't you set that down?" She asked casually. He turned his head and looked at her, a very serious expression on his face.
"A samurai and his weapon are one." Was his reply, turning back to the sink to resume washing the dishes. She was a bit confused, though decided not to push it. Best not to irritate someone she had just met.
"Well, I'll go grab some blankets and pillows. You can sleep in the living room for the night," She spoke absentmindedly, turning and heading to a closet to grab the items. She laid them out on the floor for him to lie down on once he got tired.
He finished up the dishes and walked into the living room. "Tha-"
"Stop thanking me every five minutes!" She joked. He scratched the back of his head, blushing a little out of embarrassment. It was just in his nature to do so, but he did suppose he did it too much. "Goodnight, Kaien." She said with a smile, approaching him and hugging him. He stood for a moment, eyes wide, unsure of what to do. He slowly put his arms around her and hugged her back.
"Goodnight, Hanako." He replied. She pulled away and went into her room, closing the door. Kaien stared at the door for a moment, finding himself unable to look away. What was happening? He found himself unable to clear his mind of her. He shook his head and laid down on the blankets, pulling one over himself and closing his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
"What do you want?" The man shouted. A look of anger mixed with panic filled his face. He was facing his own death. A much younger Kaien stood in front of him, his blond hair pulled back into the traditional samurai fashion. His katana hung loosely in his hand, the grey sash blowing in the wind, blood dripping from the blade and onto the ground.
"For whatever reason, someone wants you dead. There is nothing you can do to convince me to leave. I have a job and I do not fail." He spoke, his voice cold and filled with confidence and determination. He was a war machine, a master upon the battlefield. The man before him did not like his answer.
"Let's see if you can try!" He shouted. He turned and darted down the dark street, attempting to flee. As he did so, three armored samurai dropped down from the rooftops between Kaien and his target. They all drew their weapons, staring at the assassin before them, killing intent in their eyes. Kaien knew his job. He would not fail. He could not fail. He performed a fancy little flip with his katana, holding it horizontally in front of his face. The three samurai charged at Kaien. He grinned. The first one was on top of him within a mere second. He slashed horizontally at Kaien's neck with the intent to decapitate him in one fell swoop. Kaien held his blade up, blocking the assailant's and causing him to stumble back a step. Kaien performed a very fast 360 degree spin, slashing horizontally at the man's chest. His blade deflected off of the thick armor. The samurai grinned at the futile attempt. Though, Kaien was no ordinary samurai. No, he had skills beyond that.
He concentrated for a brief moment. A purple liquid looking substance surged up the blade. "CHAKRA?" One of the three samurai shouted. Kaien grinned. He had been trained in the arts of a shinobi. He charged the samurai, his blade at his right side, the tip pointed forwards like a javelin. He thrust, the blade piercing straight through the samurai's armor. Blood spurted out the back of his armor, the man falling to the ground in a bloody mess as Kaien retracted the blade. The other two looked at him, determined to kill him and avenge their fallen comrade. They both charged simultaneously, hoping that the Kaien couldn't handle himself against two foes at once. They were horribly mistaken.
They both charged next to each other, one a few steps behind the other. The first one slashed horizontally, almost in the same manner that his now dead comrade had. Kaien ducked, slashing from left to right, slicing the man's gut clean through. He quickly spun, flipping the blade upside down in his hand and thrusting it behind him. The chakra- fortified blade pierced through the final samurai's ribcage, causing him to collapse to the ground. Kaien flicked the blade to clear it of blood and sheathed it, turning and running quickly in the direction his target had ran.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* A loud pounding woke Kaien from his sleep. He bolted upright, his left hand reaching to the katana lying on the floor next to him. Hanako opened the door to his left, pulling on her robes and walking past him to the door. As she opened it, Kaien could hear a frantic voice.
"Is that samurai still here?" The man shouted.
"Yes, why?" Hanako asked curiously.
"Some men are in the market district holding people hostage and demanding to see him!" He shouted frantically. Hanako looked over at Kaien, an expression of deep worry on her face. His gaze was one of determination though. He picked up his katana, secured it on his belt, pulled on his shoes, and headed towards the market district, Hanako following in his footsteps.