Saizo and... Someone else I can't recall - Outmatched

According to natural instinct and their doctrine, a ninja had two options regarding a battle in full swing:

1. Assassinate key targets and risk getting revealed to a multitude of enemies in the open,

- or -

2. Risk getting revealed to a multitude of enemies in the open.

Were he any unrefined assassin, like that Ylissean Gaius, who despite his talents as a thief had no real affinity to the battlefield and the finer aspects to the shinobi ways, Saizo would have waited for the battle to reach his position.

The enemy was not so fortunate as to receive that mercy.

Carefully analyzing the area since the moment they arrived had yielded Saizo the knowledge of key terrain features, choke points, and natural routes the average soldier, mounted or otherwise, would traverse to reach their ideal destination. This information could also be utilized on the inverse, as these would be key areas for enemy fliers to swarm past to cover their ground forces.

As such, on hearing that the enemy would be mounted cavalry and wyverns, he outfitted his equipment to deal with such. Caltrops, claymores, improvised explosives, incendiary shurikens, and smoke bombs would be utilized for Saizo's impending performance on this day. He wouldn't need his father's katana. Not today.

Today, no one would see the Saizo, only a Saizo's work.

Naturally, a ninja had to be a tactician. Analysis, strategy, instinct, and a general understanding of the flow of battle was essential for any who donned the robe and mask that he had earned many years ago.

The Saizo clan prided themselves in being the finest artists of this fine art.

A few weeks back, Robin had taken him aside and compared insight with the shinobi, and both had learned from the other a many great things; Robin had little experience dealing with the idea of a single unit in the middle of a battle, due to his preference of larger, more visible squads. Likewise, Saizo had utilized Robin's clever insights to better utilize his work in tandem with the efforts of an army.

Ninja working alone is a myth he had discarded that day. Now? Saizo was the sharp kunai that struck when the broadsword couldn't. He was a specialized weapon in the vast arsenal of Shepherds. It was much more efficient that way.

The battle was already over the moment he had finished preparing.

Standing a few hundred feet in front of his own traps, Saizo waited patiently in the treeline, staring back into his own territory instead of outward towards the enemy.

A true ninja didn't need to see his mark to erase it.

When the first cavalier raced underneath him, Saizo had already tossed his first smoke grenade below, causing a slight moment of confusion in the initial line of horsemen, which in turn made them stand still for a fleeting moment.

Enough time for any competent ninja to let loose with his shuriken.

"For Emperor Ryoma," he whispered as his rallying cry, leaping off the tree into the smoke he created, two of the Valmese in front of him slumping over with shuriken running up their spine and neck.

"What the hell?"

Another smoke bomb detonated in front of the Valmese line, forcing ten sets of eyes to turn towards the sound.

Ten it is.

"It's a ninja! I thought Chon'sin's ninja were long gone?"

"No, this is an Ylissean one! He's with the Shepherds! Form up close! He's sloppy!"

Sloppy? Hardly.

Another horse fell over with shuriken in its eyes, crushing his rider who was subsequently silenced with one more to the neck.

Horses were faster than ninjas. Not nearly as cunning. And most certainly not as nimble.

Nine.

"Where the hell is he?"

An explosion went off, taking out a rider by setting his body on fire. The screams distracted the Valmese enough for the other claymore to be detonated underneath the ninth's horse. The result was a little messy, but it would do.

Noise, visual cues. Any sensory distractions were good enough if they dislodged the enemy from the real developments happening around them. Then again, Saizo prided himself in being as far away from 'real' as possible. Fear was a weapon just as sharp and biting as any shuriken. And fear never ran out when a good ninja was at work.

Eight. Seven.

A smoke bomb went off maybe twenty feet away, near a narrow passway between two high rocks. Saizo and Robin both noticed this peculiar outcropping, back when the latter was still with the Shepherds.

"He's in there! After him!"

As the riders charged in, the caltrops Saizo had set caused the horses to lose their footing, their hooves bleeding from the spiked metal traps. As the first horse fell over, its rider found his head and neck crushed between the horses and those same metal spikes, blocking the pass from any additional men entering.

Six.

Seeing as he was still behind the cavaliers, Saizo threw a smoke bomb over the confused gaggle of enemies, while at the same time throwing another one at his feet.

Distractions and theatrics were key to any ninja's success over a group of enemies. For all they knew, it wasn't just one ninja taking them out systematically. Then again, both options were equally as terrifying: Either they were surrounded by a group of skilled ninjas, or a single one was picking them off like fruits from a tree.

"He's behind us!"

"No, he's still in the rocks! Look!"

A claymore set a few hours before went off, sending spikes flying into another two Valmese soldiers, lacerating their exposed necks and hands. It was a classic trick for a ninja: Lead the enemies to bunch up and take out their options of escape.

He lobbed a shuriken skyward, lighting it ablaze as it left his hand.

Five. Four.

Ah, I missed the head.

"Ow! Shit, he's above us-" The shuriken that he threw landed onto another rider's thigh, detonating and near eviscerating the unfortunate Valmese. But he wasn't above them, as the dead man's comrades found out soon enough.

A good ninja knew how to attack from any angle. Then again, he should've hit the head.

Three.

"Retreat! We need to -Hyurgh!" The cavalier choked on his own blood as Saizo leaped from the smoke onto his horse, slitting his throat and drawing the long sword off the fallen soldier's scabbard.

Then again, a ninja could reveal himself when he wanted the maximum amount of fear to manifest.

I guess they get to see my face today. Pity.

Oh, and... before I lose count,

Two.

"There he is! Charge!"

The lead cavalier found his horses legs collapsing underneath itself as it ran over more caltrops, rolling onto the hard rocks below as he struggled to get out from underneath his incapacitated steed. The second horsemen leaped over and charged at Saizo but-

"Huh." The horse seemed to have hit a wall of some sorts, and the rider and ninja were equally confused as to what-

"Notice me!"

"What?"

Did I just hear someone?

A thrusting wound appeared out of nowhere on the Valmese rider, jetting out crimson as the cavalier screamed in shock and pain.

"What."

Saizo noticed that that wound was too big to be a shuriken, so that ruled out Kaze watching his back. There was no arrow, so...

"I SAID, NOTICE ME!"

Again with that faint whisper... Is there another assassin here? But what manner of weapon... where is he, first of all.

"Hey! Saizo! It's me, I'm on your side!"

Saizo saw a faint glimmer, one that even a ninja of his caliber would have missed if he were not on edge. Leaping backwards and tossing a smoke bomb, he retreated towards the trees in hopes of spotting the enemy (or neutral) shinobi that had him surprised for sure. He would have been killed if the stranger was not so... deliberately intricate.

"Why are you running away! Hey, down here!"

"I swear, it sounds like- Shit." Saizo felt the branch underneath him collapse and he was too slow to leap off, causing him to fall helpless into-

"Can you stop ignoring me! You of all people should-" The ninja felt something harder than the usual dirt against his feet as he sprang nimbly away, seeing that faint disturbance of shadow and light as his assailant made himself slightly more apparent.

"Ohgods-" Saizo leaped backward, seeing that he had dodged a lucky death again.

Who is this... that he can just sneak right into my face and not be seen? And without smoke bombs, distractions... What am I dealing with here?

"You're acting like you can't hear me!" the voice echoed off, causing a less-trained ear to lose the meaning of the words. Saizo barely heard it though, and he strained from his hiding spot to-

"Oh... shit," was the only response Saizo could give when he felt a rough hand tap his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw nothing, so he rapidly got up and scanned his immediate vicinity.

Do the Nohrians or Valmese have ninja too? And on a skillful level that is beyond even the Saizo clan?

"Enough games!" Saizo yelled in desperation, knowing that he was outclassed. Perhaps he could outwit his opponent and spot him, or retreat- "What the hell?"

A Valmese soldier, notably one of the ones Saizo had killed earlier, was floating.

On its own.

Sideways.

"What manner of magic..."

"Can you see me now?" the voice asked, and Saizo nodded slowly, with a gulp. The Valmese soldier suddenly stopped, and in a brief glimmer of light, Saizo spotted something underneath the corpse.

"What... are you?"

"It's me, Kellam! Remember? Ylissean, y'know. Knight guy. Kinda tall, I guess."

"Kellam?"

"Ugh, and I thought I finally solved my problems. Maybe this might work," the voice faintly spoke.

Sparks suddenly arose from underneath the Valmese soldier, and Saizo had to focus all his effort into trying to identify just what he was looking at. Was he... smashing metal together?

Steel on silver, by the smell. The sound was too deep to be two shuriken clashing. What was Kellam doing?

"Do you see me now?"

From what it looked like...

"Silver lance, hitting... plate armor?"

"Wow, so you can see it."

"You're... you're a knight!" Saizo wondered out loud, causing the Valmese body to turn slightly before the voice started laughing.

"Well yeah! I've been fighting along side you guys since like... the beginning! I was even there when we went through the portal to ask for Hohsido's help!"

"I thought... Kellam was a myth; a joke spun by Ylissean jokers. An armored knight, who could disappear at will. And... here you are. Or aren't, if we are to nitpick."

"I've been here," Kellam huffed. "I was following you and your brother, hoping that you two were sharp enough to spot me, when all my friends haven't."

"What manner of training... sorcery, or whatever the hell you've been witnessed to unwillingly disappear from sight! And in your armor, no less... Such skill, talent... you have the makings of a fine ninja. I am jealous."

"That was actually the plan," Kellam admitted. "This armor doesn't do me any good. Enemies don't exactly attack me because they can't see me. Plus, I'm too slow to run after them with all this. I was hoping you could teach me your ways." If Saizo still wasn't so spooked by the Ylissean, he would have been honored.

"Your talents truly outshine mine. But... how is it that you're accomplishing this... ghost-state?"

"My family ignored me as a child." Saizo would have gasped if not for his mask.

"Something so menial resulted in this?"

"Hey, my family disregarding me is certainly not menial. But yes. It seems the whole world doesn't notice me now, thanks to them."

"Incredible. I will teach you what I know. As a Saizo, I will expect you to be the best, even better than I."

"W-what?"

"First step... I... need to actually see you."

"That's going to be a problem."


AN: 200 damn reviews. Holy shit my readers, you have made me very proud of myself, and this community. 50 chapters into this crack project that I've turned into my dreamchild, way before we even got the NA version. And 120,000 views later (That's quite a bit, a view for every word in this damn story,) we've just crossed the halfway point.

Maybe.

So bear with me, my friends.

My beautiful world I've breathed into creation with Intelligent System's help (jk I just got lucky piling so much BS together it made it's own AU with just a few plot holes) is finally coming into place.

As always, my beloved readers, Review (The reviews are actually busted since May 12th, so screw me right,) and as long as you support me, I'll support you. And even if you don't, this shit is fun as hell. I won't be finished with this story anytime soon.

But... we really need to get back to Robin and his Hoshidan Harem. Whoops. Didn't mean to reveal that. Jk he isn't getting any. Maybe an Azura.

But for reals though, I'm debating whether to pair Azura with Kaze (Will have to change Midori's descriptions if there are any, or just leave her as a green haired drug dealer, or pair her with Gerome (Something about a sense of helplessness with Gerome and his future and Azura regarding her knowing of Anankos when everyone's off fighting Grima)