With his typical neutral expression, Naruto stared at his reflection in the glass at the front of the store he had just left. More specifically, he stared at his hair, now shorter. It hadn't necessarily looked bad, he just wasn't used to having to do similar things.
He didn't care much for his appearance either, but apparently even mercenaries should look decent when hired by an important figure like one of the generals of the army of the fire country kingdom. And he had been procrastinating about this for some time, he should have had a haircut weeks ago, ever since they arrived in that city.
Sighing, he turns and walks towards the place where he and his group of mercenaries were. Not before looking for a few moments at the scar in his eye, damn you Daimaru. In the end, he opted to stay with them. He had nowhere else to go anyway.
On the way, he tried to ignore the glances cast in his direction, as well as the murmurs that began soon after he passed. People surprised to see such a young warrior, and/or frightened by the size of his sword compared to his body.
No matter which city he went to, it was always the same.
After a while of walking, he arrives at the camp where he was, together with the members of the royal army.
With lazy steps, he approaches Mifune and throws some of his rings in his direction, who just arched an eyebrow and smiled in his way.
- I didn't even say what I wanted.
Naruto shook his head slightly.
- You didn't have to. It was written all over your face.
It took a few days for them to get to that town, and it had been a few weeks since then. And in the meantime, he had to admit that his relationship with some people was rather... friendly. Mifune was smart and wise, knowing him and recognizing his moments alone, he always seemed to know what he needed at a certain moment with the excuse that he himself had once been in a similar situation. Mifune didn't explain in detail, and Naruto didn't care enough to ask.
Ryuzetsu and Temari were nice, strong women, so in a way, he became close to them... well, closer than with the rest of the group.
As he walked, his eyes focused on the few rings on his fingers. Although he had given some of his jewelry to Mifune after deciding to stay, he still kept a few items with him, just in case. He agreed to be part of the group of mercenaries, but if a situation arises in which he must leave, he will not hesitate, and he must be prepared in case that happens.
Taking his sword from its sheath, Naruto sits down in a wooden chair and begins to polish his blade just in front of his temporary tent. Occasionally he would look for something to occupy his mind. He was not a people person, not after so many past occurrences. Although he found that brief moment with his group nice and comforting, he preferred to be alone, or at least a little more isolated.
They were still waiting for orders from the commanders, which they didn't even know when they would arrive. They could be in that place for days, or even months, before they received their orders. Nobody there drew his attention, and he tried to hide his blond hair so as not to draw attention to himself.
He trained with his sword in the morning, followed by physical training, and practically had the whole afternoon free.
In short, it was pretty boring there.
- Oe, idiot, come on, I want to train.
A sigh escaped his lips. Of course, he had Temari to take him out of his boredom, which at the moment he was grateful for. After that night when they spent hours training, the girl had been asking him for training whenever she had the chance, especially after seeing him defeat Daimaru. According to her, she wanted to evolve fast enough to have the possibility of participating in the next battle. Something Naruto doubted, but remained quiet.
Turning to the girl, he grabs, still in the air, a short sword that she threw in his direction. A sword she stole... borrowed from some army soldier the moment they arrived there.
- Have you done your physical training today?
He asked, putting his sword back in its sheath and walking beside the girl, a few steps away.
- Yes. Not much though, all that "woman's work" and shit.
She said with a scowl and her voice slightly bitter, something Naruto was used to by that point.
Although Temari still had flaws, her progress was obvious. Her body was more shapely, with muscles more apparent though not by much, her strength had increased, as had her speed and agility. She was staying calmer, though, as the physical training took away most of her stress.
Not to mention that she now walked with her head held high among all those men, with no fear, trepidation or hesitation in her eyes. Which made Naruto feel a pang of pride in his chest, like a master watching his student progress.
And he wouldn't admit it, but the girl's speed helped him train his own, both his body speed and his sword swing.
After walking for some time, they arrived in a more secluded part. Most of the men decided to train near the tents, while both of them preferred a farther and less noisy place.
Naruto snapped the bones in his neck as he prepared for training. Temari, in front of him, stared at him with a strange gleam in her greenish eyes.
-... Naruto, you know, I think it's about time you used your sword against me.
He arched an eyebrow.
- You said yourself that I need to train for all different kinds of opponents, short, tall, thin, big. You're just a kid, but you're extremely strong, much as I hate to admit it.
He smiles slightly, laughing softly when the girl points her middle finger at him.
- Anyway, I need experience in dealing with opponents who are heavier and stronger than me. And I know you control your speed with this short sword.
She had a point. Her father's sword was heavier than a normal sword, and the short sword Temari used was lighter than a normal sword, his movements, even if unconsciously, were much faster.
Naruto put the short sword back in its sheath and crossed his arms.
- Are you sure?
She smiled defiantly.
- What is it? Afraid? Or do you think I can't do it?
- Neither. I know you can do it. But one slip, and I can break your sword.
She shrugged.
- Good thing I have two then. And it's training, so I'll practice to avoid that in a real fight.
He stared at her for a while longer, then sighed again. Turning his neck, he throws his short sword to the side and picks up his sword from his back, getting into attack position soon after.
Temari smiled for a few moments, but soon, she too got into attack position. Her eyes seemed to glow as she stared at Naruto, like a predator staring at its prey.
Quickly, she moves towards him, trying to slash him in the chest. However, Naruto blocks with his sword. Temari moves nimbly, taking a step to the side and trying to attack the boy again.
Naruto dodges and counters with an elbow to the girl's arm, followed by an attack with his sword.
Temari slightly widened her eyes and dodged. It was a fast attack, faster than she had expected, and she could see some strands of her hair being cut by the movement of the huge blade. If she tried to defend herself, it would be as Naruto had said, her sword would break.
- You started well, on opponents like this, don't let him use his sword, hammer, axe or whatever. In an open space like this, however, if you walk away, you're finished.
He finished saying this and advanced towards the girl, who again slightly widened her eyes. Naruto was fast, as fast as he was using the short sword.
He tries a vertical cut, but the girl deflects and counters, trying to punch him in the stomach. However, Naruto takes a step to the side and tries to counterattack.
Temari is faster and punches him in the side of the abdomen, spinning her body around and again trying to cut the blonde.
Naruto ducks and hits her with a kick to the stomach, getting up and trying a vertical cut from top to bottom on the girl, who despite the pain, recovers and moves away, dodging the blow that made the blade sink slightly into the ground.
Temari advances again, this time getting even closer than before. She tries to pierce Naruto's chest, but he deflects by leaning his body to the side. Before he could act, however, she punches him in the face, followed by a knee to the stomach and finally, she tries to stick her sword in his neck.
However, Naruto quickly recovers and deflects, landing a punch to the side of the girl's abdomen. Temari groans slightly in pain, but quickly reacts by headbutting Naruto in the nose and kicking him forward, trying again to cut him with her sword.
Naruto steps back and deflects Temari's attack, turning his body and slashing at the girl, knocking her to the ground. He quickly gets on top of her and puts his sword to her neck.
The girl stares at him for a while, until her typical annoyed expression spreads across her face, and she turns her head and grumbles lowly after letting go of her sword.
Naruto smiled slightly and stepped back, watching her stand up as he put his sword back into its sheath.
- You're faster, your reflexes are better. Your strength has also increased, although your punches are still too weak. But overall, you are progressing very well.
He said, wiping the trickle of blood that dripped from his nose from the headbutt.
Temari, despite her anger at having lost, looks at him incredulously.
-... Who the fuck are you?
Naruto arches an eyebrow in confusion.
- Naruto has not complimented me once in these weeks of training.
He smiled.
- Well, now I have. Keep it up and maybe you'll have a chance to go to the battlefield.
He crossed his arms, staring at her calmly.
- Hmpf, if that commander has the balls to let a woman go to the battlefield. Son of a bitch seemed about to throw up when Mifune mentioned it.
She grumbled, putting her sword back into its sheath and then walking over to get the other one.
- Relax, I think I can convince him.
She arched an eyebrow.
- You? Convince the commander of one of the troops of the fucking royal army?
Disbelief was evident in her voice, and Naruto just snorted.
- If not me, Mifune. But that's only if we stay here for a few more years. You've improved, but you're not ready for a real battle yet.
He said, looking up at the sky for a few moments.
- Argh, I've lost count of how many times you've said that. It's fucking annoying.
she grumbled.
- Because it's true. I see your potential, Temari, but battle is totally different. Some men may be good at training, but they die as soon as the battle begins. There, taking advantage of the terrain is also important. That is something that is used by both sides.
She sighed, he rarely spoke with that kind of seriousness in his voice. She just waved her hand and scratched the back of her neck with the other.
- I know, I know. Anyway, I'll bet you ten bronze coins that I beat you in the race from here to downtown.
He arched an eyebrow. Ten bronze coins, that would be one silver coin.
- Why so much money? Feeling generous today?
- Confident in my ability now that you complimented me. - She smiled.
- Now, don't get so cocky. You're not-
- Off we go!
She interrupted him with a little start yell, and started running soon after.
Naruto blinked a few times and then sighed, shaking his head slightly just before running after her.
After two months the orders finally arrived, the mercenaries, together with the royal army, were preparing to capture one of the forts taken by the enemy.
They were some kilometers away from the city, and the commander had just given them his tactics. The enemy was already waiting for them, but they had to take the place at all costs. According to him, with the loss of the fort, they lost resources and currency, as well as having their kingdom drastically weakened.
Or something like that.
Naruto was a mercenary not a fucking soldier, he didn't give a fuck.
The battle began and he grumbled as he saw a shower of arrows fall towards the group of soldiers.
Ducking down, he leaped forward, standing just behind a huge man with a shield.
He could hear some groans and screams as the rain of arrows fell, some men hit. Most were in full armor, so this was not really a problem.
Coming out from behind the man, Naruto moved quickly along the front line, going with everything he had towards the enemy's first line of defense.
Further ahead, one of the men in his group fell to his knees after being hit. The boy's blue eyes were wide open, and he used the man's back as a stepping stone to jump over him and land a horizontal attack on his enemy, strong enough to ignore the small part of the enemy helmet that protected his head and cut his opponent's head in half.
His front line advanced, defeating and knocking off the bridge every man in the first line of enemy defense.
Naruto advanced as well. A few steps later, he widened his eyes when he saw an archer shoot an arrow in his direction, but he didn't have to worry too much. Despite the strong impact on his chest, the arrow did not penetrate his armor, and he just continued his way across the bridge.
However, he suddenly stopped. The enemy stopped shooting arrows and he heard a commotion over the walls. His eyes again widened as he saw cauldrons of boiling water being poured on the soldiers in front of the gates.
He walked away as fast as he could, hearing the screams of pain from the soldiers ahead.
- Argh, what the hell!
He grumbled loudly as he saw the cauldrons being replaced by cannons, and without thinking, he jumped off the bridge and fell into the river that flowed just below, hearing, even if muffled, the sound of the explosions happening above him and the noise of the bridge being destroyed.
Naruto swam as fast as he could towards the shore outside the walls of the enemy base, having some difficulty doing so with so many rocks in his way and the weight of both his sword and his armor. But he did not do all that physical training for nothing.
When he reaches the shore, he opens the front of his helmet and coughs a few times. After recovering, he looks for a moment at the state of the almost completely destroyed bridge.
The soldiers on the other side of the shore were being bombarded by cannons, but a new wave of soldiers was approaching not far behind.
A decent number of men had managed to jump into the river before the explosions and were approaching the shore. But along the wreckage, there were motionless, bloodied bodies all around being swept away by the current of the river.
Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a scream coming from in front of him. The enemy had come down some stairs and made sure that there were no survivors, which made the boy roll his eyes.
Quickly analyzing his opponent, he dodges a cutting attack with a sword and pierces the side of the leg of the man in dark armor with a purple snake crest.
Another man appears behind the first, attacking Naruto, who dodges, withdraws his sword from the leg of the first opponent, and stabs it into the neck of the second.
In one swift motion, Naruto kicks the man's shielded chest and pushes him to the ground, standing on top of his opponent's body. Withdrawing his sword from the neck of the man he had just killed, Naruto drives his blade into the throat of the man below his feet.
His enemies had armor that covered a good part of their bodies, but there were exposed parts that could be exploited.
The men coming to the shore were already preparing to fight, the larger ones taking the lead and using their brute strength and sturdy bodies to serve as defense and offense.
Naruto was about to join them, but a familiar scene caught his eye.
To the left, along the small bank, a small figure in incomplete armor was fighting a man almost twice his size. Which would not be so unusual to see, since Naruto did this in his daily life. However, the movements, the short sword, and even the groans of exertion said well who was that person.
Naruto gritted his teeth as he saw another man approaching. Squeezing the hilt of his sword, he rushes towards his enemy and leaps, turning his body horizontally while still in the air and decapitating his enemy in a single motion.
Looking at his companion, he stared with cold eyes at the small person who thrust his sword into the man's waist, but then was knocked down by the man.
The boy shakes his head and quickly pierces the back of the man's head with his sword, pushing his dead body aside soon after.
For a few moments, he looks back, before he sticks his sword in the ground and walks over to Temari.
- What do you think you are doing? - He asked coldly and in a low voice, but anger eminent in his words and in his eyes. Naruto grabbed Temari by the wrist and forced her to stand. - Do you think this is a joke?!
Before she could answer, he pulled her back and forced her to stare at the severed head of the man he had killed.
- Does this look like a joke to you? Why aren't you in the camp!?
He grunted, still in a dangerously low voice, and despite his unchanged expression, his eyes burned with a blazing blue fire. Worried for her, in that time he had learned to see her as more than just a girl he met in a group of mercenaries. Also, concerned for Ryuzetsu, he knew the attachment the woman had for the girl.
Temari just pulled her arm tight and picked up her sword again.
- I wouldn't be left out! There's no way I'd be doing laundry and cooking when you're here! I can do it!
she said, ignoring the flames in Naruto's eyes.
He took a few deep breaths, putting one hand on his waist and the other on his forehead, closing his eyes for just a few moments.
Well, too late to send her back. And knowing the girl, he doubted that she would really go back.
- You will stay close to me, understand? You're not leaving my side.
She grimaced.
- No, shut up and listen to me. - He interrupted her when he saw that she was about to complain. - I've always told you that the battlefield is different from the training camp, and if you want to stay here, you're going to have to do exactly as I say, is that clear?
She shook her head and sighed in irritation, but in the end nodded in confirmation. So stubborn.
Naruto picked up his sword again and ran alongside the other men, with Temari right behind him.
Despite the number, it was obvious that the soldiers from the fire country kingdom were more skilled.
They climbed the stairs blocked by the bodies of fallen warriors, and soon, Naruto's eyes widened when a tall, burly man with a huge axe tried to attack him.
The boy dodged, throwing his torso back and counterattacking with a sharp blow to the man's shoulder. However, the man blocked with the handle of his axe and attacked again.
Naruto grabbed Temari by the shoulder and ducked, taking a deep breath in surprise as he saw the axe break two men in half with ease.
Gritting his teeth, Naruto pulls Temari back and steps back, dodging the man's constant attacks.
Other soldiers from his group tried to attack him, but were stopped by enemy soldiers, who were many by the way, since they were inside the enemy fortress.
Seeing that they were approaching the wall, Naruto pushed Temari aside, throwing his body to the opposite side soon after, and closing one of his eyes as the man's axe crashed into the ground and raised a small cloud of dust on impact.
The boy's blue eyes went wide open, muscles all over his body contracted, his veins bulged, and his heart beat faster. Leaning his body to the side, Naruto dodged a side attack from the man while striking him with his sword.
The long blade hit the man's armor, but the force behind his movement was enough to bypass the metal and penetrate the flesh between the man's shoulder and upper chest. A muffled cry of pain could be heard from beneath the enemy's helmet, which bought Naruto a small window of time to act.
The boy drew his sword, lowered his body slightly as he spun around and drove his sword sideways into the side of his enemy's abdomen, again, ignoring his armor.
Naruto gritted his teeth as he felt his muscles burn from the incredible force he was making, it was not easy to pierce armor, even chain mail armor was enough to stop sword strikes.
The man cried out in pain, but recovered quickly and tried to punch Naruto. However, the boy dodged it by throwing his body to the side, grabbed one of his knives from his waist and stabbed it into the lower forearm of his opponent.
The man again screamed, and with the back of his forearm, slammed against Naruto's helmet, inflicting no damage, but being enough to push him backwards.
The man attacked Naruto with a sharp blow with his axe, however, the boy dodged and with one swift movement delivered a sharp blow to both legs of the man, who fell to his knees.
Raising his body, Naruto delivers a strong vertical blow from the bottom up, cutting part of the man's chin and removing his helmet. The man had short hair, hard expressions with some lines, a scar on his temple.
He tried to move, but Naruto hit him in the face with the handle of his sword, followed by a kick to his neck and finally a blow with his blade to both of the man's arms, making him drop his axe.
Running to the side, Naruto uses the wall as momentum to jump as high as his enemy's own height, and with one swift and precise movement, he splits the man's head in half.
All around, the sound of swords clashing against swords and shields ceased, and the enemy's eyes focused on the body of the fallen man at Naruto's feet, who was simply wiping away the blood that splattered on his armor.
The front gates of the fort were abruptly opened, and the soldiers from the country of fire stormed the fort. The enemies that were not killed immediately after the soldiers entered, surrendered after seeing that the forces of the fire country were larger.
Some soldiers praised Naruto as they passed him, but the boy only focused his eyes on Temari, who was looking at him wide-eyed.
Hours passed, after the mission ended successfully, a large number of the soldiers, mostly the mercenaries hired by the king, were sent back to camp.
News went fast, and it didn't take long before the rumors of Naruto defeating the enemy general ran throughout the camp, and even by the soldiers in the city.
The boy hadn't felt so uncomfortable like that in a long time, he didn't need all that, the enemy general wasn't a god, just a man who happened to die by his hand. Although the most annoying thing, for him, was dodging the touch of soldiers who didn't live with him long enough to know that he hated being touched.
Though his group of mercenaries, though they also congratulated him and were incredulous at his accomplishment, respected his space and were much easier to talk to than a bunch of unknown soldiers.
At the moment, Naruto was letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding as he sat on the ground atop a small hill near the camp at the edge of town. He, as always, was hugging his sword fresh from the blacksmith and staring at the moon hidden by some clouds.
He needed some air, he didn't know if he could take another second of the commander trying to recruit him to work with the army.
His mind wandered back to the battle, more precisely, to the moments before the bridge was destroyed. As far as he knew, many soldiers died. Some mercenaries too. He didn't know quite what to feel, since, although they were part of the same group, he wasn't close enough to most of them to care, at least a little, about them.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching from his side. From the sound and pattern of the footsteps, he didn't have to turn his head to know who it was.
- You can't take Ryuzetsu's yelling?
He asked as Temari sat down beside him, and she answered him with a sigh.
- To tell you the truth, she didn't cuss me that much... she cried a lot, though.
He snorted.
- Of course.
They were silent for a while, both of them feeling the light cold breeze against their faces and the swaying of their hair. Despite the silence and stillness, Naruto knew that Temari was restless, nervous.
- Do you have something to say?
She stared at him for a while.
- I'm... I'm sorry. - He arched an eyebrow and looked at her. - I realized, when Ryuzetsu was crying, how stupid it was to do that.
She rested her arms on her knees.
- I mean... damn, I was scared. When that guy attacked me, on the shore, just before you came along, I thought it would be just like training, that despite his size, all I had to do was imagine you in his place. - She laughed humorlessly. - How wrong I was. Like you said, it's different on the battlefield.
She turned back to staring at the moon.
-... No need to apologize, it doesn't matter anymore... and well, I guess you could say that it was experience for you. You learned something valuable. Cheer up, not everyone comes back from the battlefield.
She smiled, but soon the smile died.
-... Surprising that a child can do that all the time.
Naruto snorted, a nasal laugh.
- To tell you the truth, this was my first battle as a mercenary.
- No fucking way. - She blinked in disbelief.
- Seriously, at least one battle as a soldier. I've been fighting alone ever since... well, ever since I was forced to fight alone. Bandits, soldiers, nobles...
-... I must say that you didn't look like it, you moved as if you were used to it.
- Well, maybe it's because I'm used to killing, in a way, I've always walked around a battlefield... or because my father was a mercenary, and he trained me for a long time. Sword, bow and arrow, throwing knives.
She arched an eyebrow.
- You know how to throw knives? Why didn't you teach me?
He blinked.
- You never asked.
-... You're kidding, aren't you? Fucking hell, knife-throwing is what I'm all about.
He scratched the back of his head.
- Yeah, well, maybe I can teach you later.
- You'd better.
He rolled his eyes and she shook her head.
-... Now I know that you take it easy on me in training.
- Well, it's training, the goal is to teach you, not to hurt you... well, not always, of course.
- I mean, I always knew, but after today, I feel like a fool for thinking that I could defeat you.
- Hey, of course you can. In combat, strength and skill are of utmost importance, of course, but not always the strongest wins. There are other factors that contribute to a victory. The environment around you, weapons, such as the boiling water the enemy used today, number of people. A mercenary will not fight alone, at least not most of the time.
He cracked the bones in his neck.
- Yes, I know, it's just that... after all these months of training, I thought that, I don't know, I had gotten stronger.
- And you did. You're just not ready for the battlefield yet. Man or woman, it doesn't matter, they need to go through constant training, and it's not something that just lasts a few months. Only after a few years do you become skilled enough to participate in a battle like the one today. The training lasts as long as you are in the business, or for your whole life.
She sighed.
- Look, I understand that you're eager to prove that you're not just a woman, that your gender doesn't make you less than a man, I really do, but these things require patience. Like I said, it's something that takes years, not months. Be patient and you will get there. But for now, practice.
She stared at him, her greenish eyes locked in the boy's blue ones, which seemed to glow in the darkness of the night. A deep blue like the ocean.
Even after so long, being the closest person to him even among her own group, she still could not figure him out. While it was surprising that a boy had so much battle knowledge, it was also kind of sad.
Not that she could tell anything, most of the people there had a sad past.
She sighed and looked away. Hugging her legs, she rested her chin on her knees and closed her eyes for a few moments.
-... Naruto.
- Hm?
-... I think I need a bigger sword.