Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and its characters' don't belong to me. The name Neji from the manga Naruto also is not one of my possessions. -_-;

Rating : PG violence.

"speaking"

'thought'

Chapter 5 "The Encounter"

A young man in a dark blue kimono and white hakama strolled down a dusty path, passing families of farmers and merchants, carrying their goods to markets. Neji kept on walking a slow and steady pace, noting how happy the families looked together. An image of Yumi smiling and handing sake to Shishio appeared in front of Neji's vision.

The roads changed from being surrounded by open grasslands and farms to forested areas. The grass crunched under his zori as he maneuvered his way around the trees that blocked his path. Neji stopped in a clearing and looked around, swinging his staff about absentmindedly.

"If I remember correctly. . . I think the village is. . ." He turned around and ran forwards slightly, through a patch of trees and out onto a protruding piece of cliff that stuck out of the mountain. "Right here." Neji crouched down, resting his staff on his knees as he gazed down on the totally silent village. "Shingetsu village. . . I wonder where nechan ~" Neji stopped suddenly and narrowed his eyes, standing up and changing his grip to hold his staff with both hands.

Neji thought, turning around to face the forests. Six men dressed in all black and masks covering their nose and mouths burst out of the trees, raising spears. One man with a ceremonial staff (AN: forgot what this was called.its like a stick with tassels on it?) shouted.

"Die outsider!!" Neji sighed and shook his head, making his bangs drop and cover his eyes.

"Fools, they don't recognize me?" Neji moved his head slightly back to dodge a wild swing from a soldier and stabbed the end of his staff against the man's throat, sending him crashing to the ground. While his staff was extended, another soldier rushed at him, spear leveled at Neji's chest. Neji calmly twisted the staff and the hidden blade came out, and he slashed the soldier in half.

". . ..!!" The remaining soldiers backed off and lowered their staffs, avoiding the blood that leaked out of the once-soldier onto the green grass. The leader of the soldiers pulled down his cloth mask and stared at Neji's weapon.

"Shinobi zue." he murmured, ignoring the dead soldier on the ground. Neji looked behind him as a huge man stepped out from behind a tree.

"So you're that kid Shishio-sama was talking about?" the bullet- headed man said, walking easily towards Neji. "Neji. . ."

"Komagata Neji." The young man replied, wiping his blade on the dead man's gi and hiding it again. "You're Senkaku, am I right?" The huge man grinned and lifted the two blades that he wore like gloves on his hands.

"I'm the person who controls Shingetsu village, Shishio-sama says he's waiting for you at the inn." Senkaku said, looking down on Neji, who shouldered his staff.

"Is that so. . . an inn?" Senkaku smirked showing all his teeth then turned and started walking off.

"Take that body and hang it up with the other two," he yelled over his shoulder to the leader of the soldiers. The leader nodded quickly and shouted to his remaining soldiers. "It'll be an example to our men."

As Neji passed through the village, not a person was in sight. The dust clung to Neji's dark blue tabi as he followed the giant down the path to a large building surrounded by a high wall. Two soldiers with spears stood outside on guard and quickly opened the gate upon seeing Senkaku.

"S-Senkaku-sama!" one shouted, coming to attention after the gate was opened. Senkaku walked by the man and headed towards a smaller building inside the grounds. Neji looked around at the buildings inside. Senkaku knocked on a wooden door and a familiar voice lazily called out for them to enter. The giant bullet headed man slid the door open for Neji, and slid it shut after him.

Shishio Makoto sat on a pile of cushions while Yumi knelt next to him.

"Ah! Neji-kun!" Yumi said happily, her face breaking out in a smile. Shishio nodded to his 'right hand man' as he inhaled smoke from a long stemmed pipe.

"Neji. Why did it take you so long to reach Shingetsu?" Shishio asked, staring at the young man with a strong gaze. Neji scratched his head and lowered his staff to rest it against the ground.

"You. . . you two did have a horse to ride. . ." Neji said, not meeting Shishio's eyes. "I was looking at the view." Yumi gave her little brother a warning look. "Ah. . . honto ni gomen nasai Shishio-sama!" Neji bowed down low to the man his sister loved. Shishio inhaled more smoke and closed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Leave it. I'm going to go to the hot springs." Neji looked up questioningly.

"Hot springs?" Shishio stood up and walked out of the room, Yumi following him and glancing quickly back at Neji once and nodding her head to tell him to follow them. Neji sighed and followed them.

"This water makes the pain less. . ." Shishio's voice said, floating out from behind the screen door that hid the hot springs from the 'main room'.

"Hai, Shishio-sama." Yumi's voice followed Shishio's out to reach Neji's ears. Neji leant against the screen door, wearing a white yukata, his staff leaning on the wall next to him. Neji blinked as he sensed someone's approach. He reached over towards his staff, but leant back again as a slightly fat man with hair standing on end entered, looking frightened and sweaty.

"Who. . . who are you?" the man asked, wiping off his sweat with his wrist guarded arm. Neji smirked and stood up, grabbing his staff in one hand.

"It's amazing how my weapon. . ." Neji twisted the staff and the six inch blade appeared. The man's eyes widened and he backed up slightly. "is more famous than I am."

"Neji, stop playing around and tell me what's happening." Shishio said, sinking deeper into the hot spring, the steam rising about him. Neji grinned again and waved a hand towards the man.

"Go ahead. Report to Shishio-sama." Neji said, leaning again against the screen door with the shinobi zue held in front of him.

"Please, forgive me!" the spy shouted, going to his knees and bowing so his face nearly touched the floor. "At the Hakone peak Himura Battousai. . . suddenly entered the forest and we lost sight of him. We put our full efforts into searching for him, but . . .." Neji looked down at the man and then at the screen door.

"Well, Shishio-sama?"

"I'll let you go." Shishio replied, lifting a black hand out of the water. "After my first hot spring bath in half a year, I'm in a good mood." The man looked up with an incredulous look on his face. "But, go find him before I change my mind." A wide smile appeared on the sweaty man's face.

"A. . . Arigatou Shishio-sama!!" the spy shouted, looking up from his bow. Neji stood up from his relaxed position and leaned over near the man, and smirked.

"Congratulations. If you make the same mistake again," Neji tapped the blade his weapon against his cheek, "I won't be as forgiving." The inept spy's eyes widened again and he jumped to his feet and rushed out of the room, nearly colliding with a soldier who was entering the room.

"Shishio-sama!" the soldier bellowed, running towards the screen door. Neji stepped in front of him quickly and smiled.

"How may I help you? Shishio-sama is enjoying the hot springs right now." The soldier nodded quickly and pulled down his face mask, whispering into Neji's ear. Neji's eyes widened briefly and he dismissed the soldier, then walked towards the screen door. "Shishio-sama, we've just got news that two men are approaching this inn. One has a scar on his left cheek, and the other is a policeman who carries a katana."

Shishio leant his back against the rocks. "I see . . . It's just like my predecessor to show up unannounced." Neji walked over to where his clothes were neatly folded inside a woven basket. "Bring them to me. And have Senkaku prepare the battleground."

Neji blinked as he removed his yukata and put on his dark blue kimono. "Ah. . . hai Shishio-sama." Neji quickly finished getting dressed and tied up his hair with a piece of dark blue cloth. He reached out to get the shinobi zue when Shishio spoke out again.

"Leave your weapon." Neji nodded quickly then ran out of the room, slipping on his zori as he went. He ran into the bullet-headed giant on his way and told him what Shishio wanted, then went to the gate. Neji dismissed the guards then stood outside alone. I hope Shishio-sama knows what he's doing. . . no weapon with Saitou and Battousai coming to meet me. . .?

Neji yawned and shut his eyes, leaning against the gate, his black bangs covering his eyes. He looked up as he felt two large presence approaching. A smirk appeared on his face as he recognized them. He stepped away from the gate and saw them noticing him.

"Himura Battousai and Saitou Hajime."

End