"Why?" the longhaired teen called out, "Why are you fighting so hard?"
"Because you called me a failure."
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Naruto: Konoha Shinken
Chapter 3: The legend begins
Koryu looked around at the number of corpses and frowned. "What happened here?" he asked the stunned guard captain, who was staring at him in shock.
"H-how'd you get out of the cell?" the man asked, only to be ignored as the blonde took in the damage.
"KOZO!" black scorpion called out, "You seem to be pretty skilled to grab one of my senbon out of thin air like that!" he grinned and lifted an arm, holding up more, "Care for round two?"
"Kuro Sasori-sama," one of the samurai muttered, "let us handle this, you need not lower yourself to handle trash like this."
That said, the men charged forwards, swords swinging in an attempt to cleave the blonde in two. Koryu merely frowned and shifted his stance, ducking around the blows and stepping nimbly out of reach, making it look like he was dancing around the men, when in actuality, he was dodging them by a hairs breadth, judging their skills.
"Damn he's fast!" the man from before muttered, only to whirl round and assure his master, "Worry not Kuro Sasori-sama! We will-!"
Whatever the man was about to say was cut off as several senbon speared his face, sending him falling to the ground amidst his comrades in a spray of blood.
"FOOLS! WEAKLINGS!" Black scorpion yelled, "None of you were worth living!"
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Koryu eyed the fallen men with shock, before turning a cool gaze toward the giant form of Kuro Sasori. "They didn't deserve that." He muttered, eyeing the assassin coldly, "They were following YOUR orders."
The man snorted, waving a hand dismissively, "BAH! 'Following orders' you say? If so then they failed! Did I not order them to kill all that opposed us?" he looked to the remaining men behind him and grinned, "Didn't I order such?"
"A coward's attack."
The tall man scowled and spun round, glaring at the blonde upstart in anger, "Nan-dato?!"
"Sneaking in during the night, ganging up on defenseless villagers was bad enough," Koryu muttered, "But your own men? Unprovoked? From Behind?" he glared at the lanky man condemningly, "A coward's attack."
Kuro Sasori swelled up with anger and lunged forwards, hurling senbon at the blonde in anger, to his amazement, the blonde merely held up a palm, catching them between his fingers as if they were mosquitoes.
"Your technique may be able to kill those who are unprepared," Koryu stated calmly, looking the man right in the eyes, "But my guard is up and will remain up."
Kuro Sasori glared at the man, before smirking and tossing his senbon needles to the floor. "A worthy opponent!" the assassin yelled, "Finally someone worthy of facing my ougi!"
Koryu frowned as the man held his arms at his sides, hands raised as he inhaled, a strange bulge forming at the throat.
"Eat this!" the madman roared, "Secret technique: Hidden justice!"
A hail of senbon launched themselves from the man's mouth, hurtling towards the blonde like hornets barreling out of their shattered nest. Koryu merely growled and crossed his arms in front of his face, protecting his throat and eyes from the deadly onslaught.
'Fool!' Kuro Sasori mocked, 'just one of the poisons that coats my senbon is enough to kill you!' he cackled as he increased the amount of senbon, 'You've sealed your own fate!'
The barrage kept up for about a minute, before finally coming to a halt, Kuro Sasori turning around dismissively. "You see men!" he boasted, "THAT is how you kill a man!"
"Really?"
The madman froze, before slowly turning to follow the gazes of his shocked followers, gazing in disbelief at the figure standing before him.
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"Do you always make assumptions based on appearances?" Koryu muttered, lowering his arms, which were miraculously free of senbon, from his face, "What if none of your blows connect, hmm?"
"Impossible!" Kuro Sasori yelled, backing up a step, "N-not one hit?! I saw them hit you!"
"Take a closer look." Koryu muttered, tossing one of the weapons at the man. Kuro Sasori caught the senbon an inch from his own eye and stared in shock at the blunt end which hadn't been there before.
"My art enables my to harden my body until it is like steel," Koryu explained, "such weak attacks mean nothing to me."
He took a step towards the assassin, who was trembling with barely suppressed rage. "You little brat!" the once proud giant roared, lunging forwards with his fists holding more senbon than seemed physically possible, "SHINEE!!!!"
Koryu merely lunged forwards, getting under the surprised assassin's guard and thrusting a finger towards his forehead, stopping the man in his tracks. The two remained in that position for a few seconds, before Koryu stopped and turned his back on the man, walking towards the shocked guard captain.
"OI!" Kuro Sasori yelled, "Where do you think you're going boy!?" He held up his hands and grinned, "I still have to kill you!"
"There is little point in fighting with you," Koryu muttered, coming to a stop in front of the captain, "Omae wa mo…shindeiru."
Kuro Sasori blinked, then began to laugh, a laugh that was picked up by his followers, until everyone was laughing, "Shindeiru? Ware wa shindeiru?" he repeated, "Have you lost your mind boy?!"
"Hardly," Koryu muttered, still not facing the man, "your life will end…now."
Kuro Sasori laughed and reared his hands back, ready to hurl the senbon at the boy, only to pause as something caused his head to twinge.
'What is-?!' he wondered, before screaming as he felt his head bulge and distort, veins pulsing in his head as blood ran down his nose and out his ears. The men that accompanied him stepped back as he tried to stagger towards them, only to scream as the once proud assassin's head erupted in a geyser of blood, teeth, pulped bone and grey matter.
The shocked men looked from the twitching corpse of their leader to the impassive face of his killer and made for the hills, leaving their weapons where they fell.
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Koryu stared at the corpse in disgust, before turning his back on it and walking towards the stunned guard captain.
"Sorry I didn't get here sooner." He muttered, patting the man down for injuries, noticing the arrow through the leg, "We'd best get this seen to." He deduced, "Can you walk if I help you?"
The man nodded dumbly, allowing himself to be carried as they made their way, slowly back to the village. 'He killed one of the strongest assassins in the whole bleeding gang in seconds,' he whispered, 'but let himself be taken in quietly?' he shivered, looking up at his former prisoner in awe and terror, 'What IS this guy?!'
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"Genma-dono!" one of the men cried out, bursting into the tent only to have the cold edge of a blade pressed to his throat.
"Let him in Karasu," Genma stated calmly, "If he were an assassin, I'm fairly certain he would come quietly."
White crow nodded, bowing his head respectfully towards his master as he lowered the weapon from the man's throat. Free of the threat of death, the man bowed to the ground and gave his report.
"Black scorpion is dead?" Genma wondered, sounding more interested than annoyed, "Well now, it would appear your theories were correct, Karasu."
White crow nodded, "No matter how powerful he may have been, a fool is still a fool." He muttered, "He was unworthy of being a member of your forces."
"Yes," Genma muttered, "Even Benitora managed to take his killers with him, and he was the stupidest of the three." He turned to the messenger and nodded, "And the man that killed him, you say he used some strange martial art?"
The man nodded, "All he did was poke Kuro Sasori-sama in the forehead, but it caused his head to explode!"
Genma quirked a delicate eyebrow upwards, before nodding to white crow, who promptly vanished; "Summon the men," he ordered the messenger, "I think it's time we made our move."
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Inari frowned as he listened to the guard's report, sending more men to aid in reinforcing the breach in their defenses. If what he gathered was correct, then that man he'd met the other day must be either a mercenary or Nuke-nin on the run.
Either way, in killing one of the bandits, he'd apparently drawn a line in the sand, a line which Inari wasn't sure the village would be able to protect.
Speaking of which, the blonde had calmly sat to the side, staying out of the way, save to help with the carting of materials for the barricade, which everyone knew wouldn't hold against a serious siege.
"Something on your mind?"
Inari looked up and blinked, as the blonde figure loomed over him, looking as expressionless as stone. The young man shook himself and scowled, looking up at the taller man suspiciously.
"Who are you?" He asked, "The only people with skills like yours are shinobi, but the only ones without any form of identification are Nuke-nin."
"My name is Koryu," the blonde replied calmly, not taking offence at the younger man's suspicions, "Just a drifter passing through," he frowned slightly and looked the mayor's grandson up and down, "We met earlier didn't we?"
Inari nodded, stubbornly looking the man in the eyes, wondering why those whiskers looked so damned familiar. "You say you're just passing through?" he asked, receiving a nod in reply, "Any chance you can stick around to help out?"
Koryu took in the hectic mess that was the defenses and turned back to Inari with a nod, "What do you need me to do?" he asked, earning a snort from the younger man.
"For starters?" Inari asked, "How about helping with the barricades?" he turned over some maps, "We received a messenger bid from Konoha, saying that they're sending out some help," he winced, "but even if they run full speed they won't be here for at least a day, noon tomorrow at least."
Koryu frowned at the mention of Konoha, wondering if they might know something about the bizarre headband he was carrying, but shrugged it off as unimportant as he moved towards the barricades, helping to set thing's up.
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Noon heralded the arrival of the tosei-nin, all of whom lined up in organized formation, jeering at the barricades and brandishing their weapons. The assorted guards manning the barricade merely eyed them stoically, armed with crossbows, rifles, and whatever else they could get their hands on.
Some of them had lost friends that morning, others family, some just really hated everything their opponents stood for, all knew for certainty that they'd fight to the last man to keep the tosei-nin from entering.
"They're well organized," Genma commented, standing at the rear with his hands on his sword, "I must applaud them for that at least."
"Genma-dono?" white crow asked, kneeling by the man's side, "Shall I make the first move?"
"Karasu," Genma muttered, "Have you ever known me to wait on ceremony?"
The albino man bowed his head, "No sir."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Genma replied, smirking darkly, "The order is given."
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Koryu sat in the lotus since, meditating as he waited for the call to arms.
Word of his defeat of black scorpion had spread, and most of the people had given him a wide berth, either out of fear or respect. A few odd villagers would approach, if only to offer water or food, which were gratefully accepted, but most would merely stare at him like he was some prized gem on display.
A few of the local children had started a game not ten feet away from him, and he was keeping a wary lookout in case the Tosei-nin tried something underhanded.
One of the children, the little black-haired girl from earlier, came up to him and tilted her head to the side, trying to look at his face. Koryu opened his eyes and regarded her with a calm expression.
"Hey mister!" one of the other children called out, "You must be pretty strong huh!"
Koryu looked up to see the children had come up behind their friend, and were eyeing him with the awe of youth, "Can I help you?" he asked, looking at them patiently.
"We heard you beat Kuro Sasori!" one of the others called out with stars in his eyes, "He's really strong, so you've got to be stronger!"
"Kuro Sasori was only strong because he picked on the weak." Koryu countered, "True strength comes from within."
The children gazed at in awe, the girl from before blushing slightly, causing him to look at her again, "Your father is the mate of the Tsukihime isn't he?" he asked, "What's your name?"
The girl flinched and looked away, earning a look of confusion from the man until one of the others tugged his cloak. "Her names Yue sir," the boy replied, "But she can't talk."
"Something happened when she was little." One of the others chipped in, "She's been mute ever since."
Koryu frowned, noting the look of discomfort on Yue's face as the others spoke on, before nodding and beckoning her to come closer. Placing his hands on either side of her head, he looked into her startled eyes and smiled reassuringly.
"This won't hurt a bit," he promised, before pressing two points on either side of her skull, sending a faint tingle throughout her body.
"Hey…what'd you do to her?" one of the boy's asked, eyeing the man suspiciously as Yue felt her head carefully, "You better not have done something to her!"
"Just a little magic trick." Koryu assured the boy, noting the childish jealousy in his gaze, "In time her voice will return to her."
The children looked between Yue and Koryu in confusion, before looking at the man in awe, "Magic? COOL!" they yelled, and began clamoring for another display.
"Koryu." A voice called out, causing the blonde to look up into the mildly flushed face of Inari, the mayor's grandson, "Something's going on at the barricade, come on!"
Koryu nodded, and with a last look at the stunned children, hurried off at the man's side, eyes settling into a cold, flint-like state.
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"W-what the devil?!" Inari yelled, seeing the barricade burst and burning, the tosei-nin pouring through the hole in an almost orderly fashion. The bodies of the defenders lay were they had fallen, several sliced to ribbons, all looking absolutely shocked in death's embrace.
Koryu scowled as the bandits stood apart, and three men stepped forwards. One was a samurai with scars, tattoo's and an eye-patch; the other wore a hat over his long grey hair and wore a baggy top. They stood on either side of a man with long black hair and a scar that ran diagonally down his face and under his kimono.
"Kidou Genma," Inari muttered, hoisting his crossbow at the trio, "Leader of the Tosei-nin, used to be some hot-shot samurai until his clan lost their power."
Koryu nodded, eyeing the trio as they came to a halt, a good distance away from them.
"Ah, Inari," Genma greeted, waving a hand dismissively, "Still as ruthless as I remember, I suppose I have you to thank for what happened to Benitora?"
"Tiger hunting isn't my thing normally," Inari replied, "I'm a fisherman at heart, but I'll be damned if I let you bastards take what's ours!"
Genma sighed and shook his head, "Now really, is this any way to conduct business?" he muttered, "I would think that washed up old drunkard you call a grandfather would've at least taught you manners."
Inari loosed a bolt from his crossbow at the man, only for it to be cut down by the guards before it even reached Genma, who smiled at him. "A little touchy are we?" the leader of the bandits called out, earning a round of sniggers from the men, "Ah well, that is to be expected."
"You have one chance to leave with your lives." Koryu called out, looking over the laughing men calmly, "I suggest you do so now."
Genma eyed the blonde with a careful gaze, before nodding in understanding, "You must be the one who killed Kuro Sasori." He noted, "Quite a feat from what I can say." He tilted his head, "What say you? Care to switch sides?" He held out a hand, "Tell me your name."
"I value my name." Koryu replied, eyeing the man coldly, "I don't give it to scum."
Genma's face grew dark as he lowered his hand, the two swordsmen on his sides growling, "I see," he muttered, before snapping his fingers, "Kill him."
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Waraji and Zoori lunged forwards, the taller of the two grinning maniacally as he charged towards his prey. The larger of the two samurai reached the man first, and moved to vivisect him, only for the man's heel to connect with the samurai's head. As he stumbled past, Zoori attempted to cleave him from behind, only for the man's heel to swing round like a wrecking ball and send the shorter of the samurai sprawling to the side.
The two straightened up shaking their heads to clear them, before glaring at the man as he glared at Genma as if they weren't there.
"Don't screw with us!" Waraji yelled, leaping forwards again, sword raised to slash down at the man's shoulder, only to freeze up as his head began to bulge and distort, Zoori's following suit not long after.
The last thing the taller samurai saw before his head exploded, was the whisker like marks on the blonde's face.
"MASAKA!" he yelled, "YOU! YOU'RE THAT-!"
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Koryu didn't even look away from Genma as the two samurai died in an explosion of blood and grey matter. He kept looking straight ahead at the leader of the bandits, who watched the death of his guards with mild disinterest.
"The same fate awaits any who attempt to pass me." Koryu muttered, eyeing the suddenly nervous bandits coldly, "Leave."
Genma eyed the corpses of Waraji and Zoori and raised a delicate eyebrow, "An interesting technique." He noted, as if commenting on the weather, "You're obviously a practioner of the martial arts." He shrugged lightly, "Well no loss, there are plenty of guards out there."
Koryu scowled as he noted the calm in the man's eyes, before eyeing the surroundings carefully. Something seemed off, he kept getting the feeling something was flitting around him.
"Last chance to reconsider," Genma offered, noting the resolution in the blonde's eyes, "No? Too bad."
Koryu blinked as he sensed something apparate behind him, he caught a fleeting shock of white hair before something slashed his neck, not deep enough to prove dangerous, but enough to draw blood.
"You're fast." The figure called out, revealing a solemn looking white crow, kneeling beside Genma respectfully, "Turning to avoid the blade even as I struck." He eyed the blonde warily, before nodding, "I am sorry for this," he offered, "But it is my duty to kill you."
The albino assassin held up a hand with a bladed tonfa, the light catching on the blade as he held it to his face.
"Kakugo."
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Next chapter:
Koryu faces off against the legendary assassin white crow. Will this master of highspeed assassination techniques take down the weilder of Hokuto Shinken? And will Genma simply sit back as his servant fights alone?
Koryu: Omae wa mo...Shindeiru?