Anko groggily woke up to see Naruto and Bruce, with his mask off and few cuts on his cheek, standing on either side of her bed. She was in the inn and it was late at night. Her side was hurting and her throat felt sore. Bruce handed her a cup of water.
"What... happened?" She asked with a raspy voice.
"That fat-ninja-ramen-hater guy got away." Naruto replied, his voice having an annoyed undertone.
"His comrade, a swordsman named Ken, was able to retrieve the man who was trailing us before I could out who he was." Bruce informed.
Anko laid her head back, staring up at the ceiling. Her hand slowly went to her bruised rib, cringing when she pressed on it. "That fatso was strong... not stealthy or subtle by any means... but was a hard hitter for sure. I've never seen him before... but he knew about me. This mission isn't C-rank. There's something more here..." She slowly propped herself up on her elbows. "We need to go back to the village and-"
"No." Naruto said interrupted her. Anko turned to him, confused.
"C'mon, kid. Get real. You saw how powerful he was. We weren't prepared for this type of mission. We don't have the proper-"
"It doesn't matter! I don't wanna back down. I want to complete what we started."
Anko exhaled in annoyance, grabbing the bridge of her nose. "Look, kid-"
"He's right." Bruce cut in forcefully.
"Aw, you too?!"
"We took this mission, ready to accept any risks. We'll finish this, no matter what presents itself."
"Yeah, what he said!" Naruto soundly agreed.
Anko sighed, shaking her head. "You two... are idiots... Urgh!" She got up, stumbling slightly before regaining her footing and composing herself. "Fine! I'll send Hokage-sama a notification. We're going to require at least a few extra people, just in case we run into someone like that again. We also need to alert the village that we may have a new unknown enemy." Anko walked out of the room with a huff, left the two.
Bruce glanced at Naruto. He noted that the boy's injuries had healed up just fine, as if all the bruises and cuts he had yesterday were never there. "A healing factor?"
Naruto made a motion to leave. "I'll be right back." He said. "I have to go to get something."
Bruce left the room as well, rotating his sore shoulder and pondering on things. Just before that man had cut him, Bruce managed to block the sword with the chakra in its perfect flow. In that moment, his arm went numb and he felt no pain. Then, it dissipated. What was he missing, he wondered. Deciding that he needed to soak his muscles, as they were very sore from constant days of training, he went off to a bathhouse in the upper part of town. Walking in, he payed for a private bath and went into the changing room. Removing his suit, Bruce grabbed a white towel and a robe before he walked inside, stepping in to the warm waters. Bruce folded his towel and robe on the side and sat in the bath, laying his head back. He sighed, contemplating further on his issue.
Naruto jumped from tree to tree, moving through the leaves that fell. His mouth was quiet while his mind was loud. "Even after two years of training... I couldn't do a damn thing to that guy... Rasengan didn't even faze him... Damn..."
Naruto stopped on a branch overlooking the area below. He saw his headband sitting atop some rubble. Naruto jumped down, picking it up in his hand. He stared at solemnly for a few moments, before squeezing it in his hand with a determined aura about him.
"I still need to get stronger... I can't save anyone the way I am now."
Naruto tied the headband around his forehead. After securing it, he turned and jumped off.
Bruce was sitting in the bath with his head back and eyes closed, letting his muscles ease from their tension when the door opened behind him. He didn't need to turn to realize who it was.
"Aahh, bath time!" Anko walked in, threw her towel and robe on the floor, before stepping in slowly, big toe first. "Oooh, that feels sooo good."
She sat down beside Bruce while the man himself had no reaction other than to ask, "What are you doing here? This is called private for a reason."
She turned her head, a somewhat wild grin on her face. "Well, I didn't feel like sharing a bath with a bunch of other women so I told the guy up front that I wanted the only private bath here. It only took a bit of persuading to get him to agree."
"You drugged him, didn't you?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "He'll wake up with most of his brain functioning." She put her hands behind her head, crossed her legs, laid back and relaxed properly. "We fought some fat prick who ate as if heart attack was the goal. Who did you fight?"
"A swordsman."
"Uh huh. From the quiet tone in your voice, you didn't win."
"No. I wasn't good enough. I couldn't channel chakra into my blade properly."
"Oh, I get the picture. You're learning how to use chakra with your weapons, eh? Here's a tip, boy toy," She reached into her mouth and pulled out a kunai, the weapon dripping with saliva. Bruce didn't bat an eye. He had seen stranger things. Anko held the kunai in her hand and stood up. She walked over to the center of the bath and stepped onto the water. Standing on it, she closed her eyes and concentrated. The next moment, a blue chakra overtook her weapon, thin and long. "When ya do this, you gotta keep your mind clear, focused on only one thing: the stream. You have to think of your chakra like a stream and the blade a canal. Do that and your weapon becomes just another tool in the game of kicking ass."
Bruce stared at her for a few moments, before a small smile graced his face. Anko, naturally, was surprised. "Huh? So, you can smile... For a stone cold bastard, it suits you quite nicely."
Bruce stood up and grabbed his towel. He stepped out of the water and wrapped it around himself before heading to the door. Just before he left, he turned his head and almost quietly said, "Thanks."
He left the purple haired sadist alone. She smirked. "Heh, maybe there's hope yet." She put her hands around her mouth. "You have a nice ass, by the way!" She then let herself sink into the water, laying back and humming to herself. "Ah... now, if I had some dango, this would be perfect."
After everyone was ready and kitted up, they made their way back to the bar. Anko looked around before spying a brown haired girl in a bar. "There she is!" She ran over to her, sitting on the stool beside her. After a few minutes of talking, the girl and Anko walked back over to them. The girl was rather petite, with a slim figure and long brown hair. Her hair was in a ponytail and fell down to the small of her back while her bangs framed her face. She had deep black eyes, fair skin and rosy pink lips. She wore a purple kimono with a flowery theme and a purple headband.
"This is our messenger. Her name's Asami. She will be giving the package to the village leader herself so we'll be escorting her there."
Asami bowed politely. "Thank you for your troubles."
"Now, our back-up will meet us at the village, as coming here is kinda out of the way. So, the sooner we get there, the better it is for all of us. So let's go."'
"Alright!" Naruto pumped his fist. "Let's do this!"
The group walked on the trail with Anko in the back, Bruce in the front and Naruto standing beside Asami. Naruto wasn't talking his head off this time, as he seemed more deep in thought. Anko happily embraced the silence while Bruce took notice of it but chose not to say anything. Asami turned to her right to see the blonde shinobi's head down.
"Is something wrong, Uzumaki-san?"
Naruto's head rose upon hearing his name. "Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine."
She smiled at him sweetly. "Everything will be okay. Whatever it is you seek, you will achieve it."
Naruto was somewhat surprised by this statement. "You knew what I was thinking?"
"Your eyes had the glow of someone who wanted to improve himself, to dedicate yourself to some goal. Your glow is dim, indicting you're sad about something. Perhaps, you think yourself inadequate but from your eyes, I see your drive and determination. Whatever it is, it seems like you will find your answer so please do not despair."
"W-woah... How did you know all of that?"
"They say the eyes are the gateway to the soul within. I simply peeked inside." She tucked her hair behind her ear, still smiling. "I hope you didn't mind."
Naruto's cheeks became a light pink. "N-no, that's fine. Thank you, Asami-san."
She nodded friendly-like when the two were interrupted by an explosion heard a few meters ahead. Bruce and the group hid behind the trees, Naruto protecting Asami. Anko stealthily walked to the front, hiding behind the trees and watching the scene ahead. There were three men who had robbed a carriage and were standing over an old man and a young boy. The lead man, a brown haired, tall man with a malicious smirk held the sword to the man's throat.
"Alright, now fork over the goods. I don't want to kill a kid but if I have to..."
Anko pulled out a kunai and readied herself to spring forward. "Alright..." She began in a whisper. "I'll take these bastards out. You guys stay-"
Batman, now with his cowl on, jumped forward and kicked one of them in their face. The lead man turned around. "The hell?!" He tried to strike him down, but Batman blocked it with his gauntlet and kicked him in the stomach, stunning him briefly. The other man ran up with a kunai and tried to stab Batman but he blocked it with his sword before stomping on the man's foot, headbutting him on the nose and then knocking him out with a punch. The lead man tried to cut him again, but Batman blocked it with his own sword.
"Tch, who are you?!"
Batman glared at him, reaching for his other sword. "I'm your worst nightmare." Batman gave him a shallow cut across the stomach, forcing the man to step back.
"Damn you..." The man touched his stomach. "I'm gonna kill you!"
Batman let out a small breath as the man charged. Time seemed to slow down as Batman channeled his chakra into the swords, keeping his mind clear and minimizing his focus on the pain. He struggled to thin the flow of chakra, focusing his chakra into his sword like a stream into a canal and soon enough, the blade began exuding black chakra with a white outline. It was big at first but then, as Batman focused even further, he thinned it around the blade and it now wisped nicely off it.
"Sword art: Black Saber."
As the man came down the sword, Batman slashed. When the two crossed paths swordsman style, the man's sword shattered and two slashes were seen across his chest. The man convulsed before collapsing on the ground, his body shaking.
"Don't worry, you'll live. Thanks to that woman, I've been studying the chakra network and its many points. I've just hit the central chakra points on your chest. Your body will be paralyzed for an hour and you'll feel numb but you'll survive." The swords' black aura disappeared as Batman sheathed his sword. Anko and the group walked out out of the trees with Anko's hands on her hips.
"You satisfied now, boy toy?"
Bruce removed his cowl, nodding. After tying them up, he walked up to the old man with the lead man on his shoulder. "Take this man back to the town and have him committed. He and his comrades will be of no more trouble to you."
The old man bowed in gratitude. "Thank you kind, sir, for saving me and my boy!" Bruce nodded, putting the unconscious and paralyzed man in the carriage. The boy looked up at him with stars in his eyes, smiling. Bruce, unsure of what to do, gave a small awkward smile in return. The old man and boy rode off, the boy waving happily at Bruce who remained stoic as he watched them go.
"Alright then, now that you've got your balls back, let's continue on our way." Anko once again led the way, letting the group fall in step behind her.
