Episode 44: The new Swordsman
Kenpachi walked back over to Naruto. He had large weights on each of his wrists, and then his ankles. He also had a weight across the hilt of his sword.
"Uh... what are you doing?" Naruto asked.
"Each of these weights are fifty pounds. It'll slow my swings down to where I won't kill you."
"Wait... we're actually going to fight?"
"That's the only way I can teach you. If you want to learn in a different way, then you can find a different teacher."
Naruto nodded. "Alright..."
"Pick up your sword."
"You mean that sword?" Naruto pointed to the sword that was still on the ground.
"Yes, that sword. Pick it up!"
Naruto slowly knelt down, and he reached for the sword. "This one?"
"Pick up the damn sword!"
Kenpachi drew his own sword.
Naruto's hand slowly curled slowly around around the blade, but his hand didn't actually touch it.
Kenpachi then slashed down at him.
Naruto's hand gripped his sword, and he jumped backwards. Naruto took the sheath off of the blade, and he dropped it off to the side.
"What?" Naruto mumbled. "My hand... it's not getting burned."
"That's because of me, Naruto." Growled a deep voice.
"Wait- who are-"
Kenpachi slashed down at him.
Naruto jumped backwards, and he slashed at him.
He missed Kenpachi by several inches.
Naruto then stepped forwards and he stabbed at him.
Kenpachi slashed down at Naruto's blade. The young ninja dropped his blade, and he was forced to jump backwards. Naruto looked around, and he saw his sheath. He darted over, and he grabbed it. Kenpachi slashed down at him, so Naruto blocked it with his sheath, and then he kicked him in the side.
Kenpachi pulled his blade back, and he went to slash down at him.
Naruto ran over, and he grabbed his sword. He dropped the sheath again, and then he darted towards Kenpachi. Kenpachi slashed down at him, but and Naruto managed to block him. Kenpachi slashed Naruto across the face.
Naruto jumped backwards. I can't beat him... He thought. I'll need to... do something else... Naruto readied to make a hand sign.
"NO!" Growled Kenpachi. "No Jutsu! You must only use your sword!"
Naruto's eyes widened. Crap... He thought.
Kenpachi charged him, and slashed down at him.
Naruto readied to block it, but the impact of Kenpachi's blade never came.
Unohana was standing there, Kenpachi's blade in her hand.
What? She caught Kenpachi's blade with her bare hand? Naruto thought.
"What do you want?"
"Oh, you're training this young Leaf Ninja. That's cute." She said.
Kenpachi growled.
"Don't worry, I was only joking. It should be good for you. But the Kinkage needs you right now."
"Damn it. Get Squad Eleven here, and then they can train him."
Unohana let go of his blade, and he sheathed it.
"Alright, fine."
Unohana smiled at Naruto, which deeply unsettled him. "I'll be back with Kenpachi's Squad."
"Uh... Okay..." Naruto nodded. She's scarier than Sakura and Grandma Tsunade! He thought.
Kenpachi was standing in the Kinkage's office.
"What? I'm in the middle of something" Kenpachi growled.
"The Akatsuki are still a threat. The Leaf, the Sand, and the Steel are forming a group of strong warriors to attack a base of the Akatsuki, hopefully taking down as much of them as we can."
"The top ten?"
"No, we're going to fight Shipata. There's a lot of them."
"The name Shipata means nothing to me. Are they the top ten, the higher ups, or the worms?"
"The worms. Anyway... so I'm sending you, Tatsuzo, Rinji, and Machiko."
"I don't want Machiko on this group. She's not a fighter."
"She's the only tracker that we've got. Unless you know of a better one."
"Couldn't we just use the Leaf's or Sand's trackers?"
"We're sending several attacks, all coming from different directions. Taking some of the Leaf's trackers won't work."
Kenpachi growled.
Tatsuzo and Rinji walked in.
"Hey, Kenpachi." Rinji called. "Long time no see."
Machiko walked up from behind them.
Kenpachi glared at her.
She lowered her gaze.
"Kenpachi, leave her alone." Tatsuzo said. "That wasn't her fault."
"Hmm?" Asked the Kinkage.
"Kenpachi's blaming her on the death of Asuma Sarutobi,a Leaf Ninja. He was the last one of the Guardian Shinobi Twelve."
"I'm quite aware of who he is." Kuma said. "It's not Machiko's fault. Leave her be."
"Whatever. Let's just get on with this stupid mission."
The Kinkage described the mission to the other ninja, and the Jonin darted towards the Akatsuki base. Not before Tatsuzo asked the Kinkage to get Unohana to train Sakura.
Naruto was sitting down on the ground, his sword across his lap. I wonder why exactly this sword didn't burn me like it did with Kenpachi or the sword seller... He thought. And did Kenpachi know that it wouldn't burn me? If so... how?
"How it didn't burn you is because of me!"
"What? Who are you?"
"Come on Naruto! You don't know?"
A giant fox with nine tails suddenly appeared out of no where, only to disappear.
"WHAT! You're the Nine Tailed Fox?"
"Shut up. The point is that I kept you from getting burnt by the Demon Sword."
"Oh, thanks."
Ikkaku walked over to him. "Who the hell were you talking to?" He asked.
Naruto's eyes widened. I don't think he'd believe me if I said the demon that was inside of me... Naruto thought. "I was talking to my sword. It's a Demon Sword."
"Oh yeah?" Ikkaku swung his sword up onto his shoulder. "We've been told by some of the higher ups to train you."
Yumichika walked away, and Yachiru ran off.
"Damn it! What the hell?" Ikkaku groaned. "Well I don't want to get yelled at by Unohana-sensei... so I'm going to train you by myself. Draw your sword."
Ikkaku drew his sword, and he gripped his scabbard in his other hand. Ikkaku stabbed at Naruto, who tried to dodge it, but Ikkaku was too fast. He cut the side of Naruto's face.
Naruto drew his sword, and Ikkaku swung his sheath at him, and him in in the arm.
Naruto slashed down at him, but Ikkaku easily dodged, and then slashed Naruto lightly across the shoulder.
Naruto swung his scabbard down at him, but Ikkaku easily blocked it with his own, and stabbed at his stomach. He stopped- just before the blade could actually hit him.
"I hit you five times. And each time it would have killed you."
"Yeah, this is actually the first time I've used a sword, so I'm kind of new to it..."
"I can tell. It looks like you're going to need a lot of work."
Kenpachi, Tatsuzo, Rinji, and Machiko were on their way towards the Akatsuki base.
"I hope there's at least one of the top then there..." Kenpachi said.
"The likelihood of that, is very low." Tatsuzo said. "The top ten don't give orders to the lowest rank."
Kenpachi groaned. "Damn it! This is such a waste of time..."
"That one guy named Ice was a lowest rank and he could cut you." Rinji pointed out.
Kenpachi grinned. "Maybe the rest of them are at that level!"
"They might even be stronger." Said Tatsuzo.
The group finally made it to the base.
Kenpachi drew his blade, and then cut down the door. The group stepped in, everyone stopping to look at them.
"I have no interest in fighting weak people." Kenpachi said. "So anyone strong can step forwards."
A man with grey hair stepped up. He had a grin on his face, and his eyes were closed.
"Don't hurt this guy." Whispered Tatsuzo. "He's on our side."
So Tatsuzo jumped forwards, and mock punched him in the face. He then grabbed him by the front of the shirt, and hurled him out the door.
Kenpachi gripped his blade with one hand, as the Shipata charged them.
Machiko teleported away from the battle.
"Drink. Nozarashi!" Kenpachi called. His blade then transformed into the giant battle axe/ war cleaver. He slashed it forwards, cutting quite a few of them up.
The Leaf Ninja appeared. They had Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, a blond man, a man with black hair and scars on his face, and a large man with red circles on his cheeks and he had the kanji for food on his chest.
"Hey!" Kenpachi said. "I know you."
Guy made a face. "I don't think that I saw you before..."
"Whatever." Kenpachi continued slashing through the Shipata. "These ninja are so weak."
"Ino-Shika-Cho Formation." Called The black haired man with the scars.
Guy flew into the battle with a kick.
Suddenly several Sand Ninja ran into the room.
"Just stay out of my way." Kenpachi said. "And if you get in my way I'll cut you up first."
Tatsuzo punched a Shipata in the face and sent him flying into Guy, who punched the man in the back and sent him flying.
Notes: Nine Tails talking in is bold.
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