Chapter 2: What the Right Eye Sees-Kojuro
Kojuro watched as the two left the room to retrieve their weapons. Kojuro looked over at Masamune and saw that he was still grinning at the now empty doorway. "What are you thinking about lord Masamune?" Kojuro already knew the answer he was about to get but wanted Masamune to say it. "Nothing just the red head." Kojuro knew it although for once didn't have the right to scold him on it. Kojuro had to admit the blonde haired shinobi caught his attention.
The red head was the one to show up first. "Aname will be here in just a second she wanted to trade her armor for her shinobi outfit. She said something about acting like a real shinobi. I can't figure her out sometimes she's way too focused on getting stronger." Masamune let out a short laugh, "Good I need some fighters like that. Hell she's a samurai a ninja and she's strong all she needs to do is become a strategist and she's got it made!" The red head laughed, "If only you knew my lord."
Now Kojuro was really interested in the blonde shinobi. A little to Kojuro's surprise the shinobi suddenly appeared right in front of him. "Sorry it took me so long lord Masamune, master Katakura." She was dressed a lot like the Sanada ninja Sarutobi Sasuke. She had on black pants and a black shirt with a cloak that was multiple shades of green. The green and black was a contrast to her blonde hair and light grey eyes. She still had her katana but on her back was a rather large shuriken. The back of the cloak she wore cane down to her ankles.
"So who is sparring with whom?" The blonde had her katana in her hand was ready to go. Masamune drew one of his dragon claws and said, "Well ninja girl you will be sparring with Kojuro and the red head will be sparring with me." Kojuro saw a look of irritation on her face and he hoped that it wasn't because she didn't like the idea of sparring with him. She walked over and smacked Masamune in the back of the head. Everyone but Masamune and Aname were trying to keep from laughing including Kojuro himself. "My name is not ninja girl and her name isn't red head! My name is Aname Kino and you had better remember it. Karia might not care but I prefer being called by my name!"
Masamune glared at her for a moment before changing it into a cocky smile. "Fine fine ya didn't need to smack me." Aname rolled her eyes and walked over to the other side of the courtyard. Kojuro drew his katana and waited for her to make the first move. She stood there in a fighting stance she was holding her katana like a ninjato with the hilt pointing up and the blade pointing down. Kojuro thought ninja only held their weapon like that because it was short.
Since she was unmoving he decided to make the first move. He attempted an attack to her side but she disappeared right as he was about to make contact and reappeared behind him elbowing him in the side before jumping up and kicking him in between his shoulder blades. "Master Katakura, as a man of strategy I can't believe you made such an obvious first move." Kojuro was thinking back to what Karia had said before Aname showed up and realized that he now knew what she meant. "Aname if I may ask, is there anything you can't do?" She smiled a mischievous smile. "Well there are a lot of things I can't do! But some things can't be helped." The look in her cold grey eyes told Kojuro that she was referring to some tragic past event. Despite the smile on her face the masked pain was just as obvious Masamune's. Kojuro had wound up in a position where their swords were locked in a match of endurance and strength.
Aname was strong and Kojuro found himself having a hard time pushing her back. "You are smart and unbelievably strong. If I told you that we would be hiring a group of shinobi would you be the leader of Ōshū's first ninja corps?" The shinobi nodded as she slipped a kunai knife in between his hand and the hilt of his sword. With a flick of her wrist his sword was out of his hand and was now standing with the blade piercing the ground. "Humph I thought you would be a little more focused. This fight was too easy. I hope you weren't holding back because that would make me angry." Kojuro laughed to himself. "You've definitely got a temper don't you?"
Kojuro smiled in satisfaction as a grin appeared on her face. She disappeared again and came back right behind him. She leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. "You. Have. No. Idea." Kojuro had to admit that the shinobi amazed and intimidated him. He also became a little worried that he might be…falling for her. She pulled his sword out of the ground and handed it to him hilt first. He took it and put it back in it's sheathe. She walked over to Karia and said, "Come on Karia we should be going." Kojuro watched as they left and when they were gone Masamune tapped him on the shoulder. "Kojuro what's wrong with you. You look sort of off." Kojuro looked over at Masamune and shook his head. "No it's nothing the shinobi girl just gets my attention. I've never seen someone fight with a mixture of samurai and shinobi styles. It's…..hard to figure out."
Masamune started laughing. "Oh come on Kojuro I see that look! You like this samurai shinobi don't you?" He was looking at Kojuro questioningly and Kojuro just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly can't say that I don't." Masamune just continued laughing as he headed back to his room, muttering something about Kojuro finally having a love life in between laughs. Something told Kojuro thought that Masamune was never going to let him live this down.
Kojuro shook his head and decided to go check the field on top of the hill past the Date mansion. The field was his own personal little area. He came up here to check on his little assortment of crops and he also used it as his get away from the stress of everyday life. It was a quiet place where he could relax and think about thing that didn't have to do with strategic or war. He could just think about whatever he wanted to. "Well now that is quiet the gentle expression from the ever fearsome Right Eye of the Dragon." Kojuro stood up and turned around placing one hand on his katana." The man from Kawanakajima was standing there in the middle of the clearing. He was still wearing his uniform and the purple X shaped mask on his face.
"What business do you have in Ōshū Strategist of Toyotomi?" The man was standing there smiling at him with his devious purple eyes. "I came here bearing a request for you specifically Kojuro Katakura." Keeping one hand on the hilt of his sword he stood up straight and out of the fighting stance he was in. "Go on." The man laughed quietly to himself. "I came to ask if you would consider joining the Toyotomi? We could use another good man planning our battles."
Kojuro was shocked by the request of the Toyotomi general. He began to wonder if the man was dreaming because of the ridiculousness of the request! "Do you not know who I am?" The man gave him a look of confusion. "You are Kojuro Katakura the Right Eye of the One-Eyed Dragon of Ōshū are you not." Kojuro was now outraged. "To think that Hanbe Takenaka would turn out to be such a fool! Did you hear yourself? I am the Right of the Dragon who owns this land and will someday rule all of Japan! I am his Right Eye and his alone. I refuse to work for anyone else." He had to stop and draw in a deep breath to control his temper. "Master Katakura I'm glad to hear you say that." It was the voice of the shinobi girl Aname. She leaped out of the tree she had been hiding in and landed gracefully next to him.
"Master Katakura I would like to inform you that this guy didn't come alone. He brought what looks like a small group of 50 to 80 men and they are hiding in the bushes. What will you have me do about it?" Kojuro looked down at her face to see a look of outrage and irritation directed at the other man.
Hanbe just laughed and as his unit emerged he asked Aname, "Did you notice this shinobi girl?" Two of the Toyotomi soldiers emerged along with two of the villagers. Aname's eyes widened with a tinge of fear. "Father, Mrs. Tamashine!" Her katana was out of its sheath and in her hand in the blink of an eye. "Let them go right now!" The soldier brought his katana up to the old man's neck as Hanbe moved closer to Aname. He walked close enough that their faces were only inches apart. Kojuro ran up with his katana out aiming for Hanbe. Aname disappeared and got out of the way. Kojuro heard to cries of pain and he looked past Hanbe to see that Aname was now a barrier between the unit of soldiers and the villagers.
Kojuro was clashing with Hanbe as he watched Aname take down each and every soldier that came forward. He saw signs of exhaustion and in her shoulders and in her fighting style. She was slowing down and making messy strikes. Kojuro had to act fast. Hanbe saw the moment of indecision and knocked Kojuro back. His sword turned into a chain link sword and he swung it forward the blade wrapping around his arm. He tried to break free but the more he moved his arm the more the blades would dig in. He saw Aname Pick up the villagers and she disappeared with them.
Aname came back kicking Hanbe in the side of the head. Hanbe released Kojuro and he quickly moved to grab his sword from where it lay on the ground. As soon as Kojuro picked up his swords he heard a scream. Quickly he turned around to see Hanbe gracefully landing on the ground and Aname falling to her knees and the blades of Hanbe's swords finished slicing down her back. "ANAME!" Kojuro ran over to Aname and caught her before she hit the ground.
Her eyes were shut tight in pain and her breathing was fast and erratic. Kojuro suddenly felt the sting of someone punching him in the back of the head. His vision was slightly blurred for a moment before he realized that he was on the ground. He cursed himself for being careless and for letting his guard down. He felt himself being lifted off the ground and he heard one of the soldiers say, "Lord Hanbe the shinobi isn't going to make it we have no use for her." Kojuro jerked his arm away from whoever had grabbed it but then was hit hard in the back of the head one more time causing his consciousness to slip away.