Chapter 3

He appeared walking down by a dirt road heading towards Wu Sho village. As he was walking down the road he saw some rounin ninjas trying to steal from a priestess and four of her bodyguards. He just kept on walking when the ninjas killed her bodyguards and backed her against a tree.
She saw Shouren walking by and screamed "Please help me!"

Shouren kept walking as the other ninjas approached her. As they were about to grab her six kunais flew and hit them all in the head. The priestess looked at them as they fell down to the ground dead. She looked at the direction where Shouren was, but he disappeared. He appeared again on the road about five miles down. He pulled out a flute and started to play a soft melody as he walked towards Wu Sho village. Moments later he arrived in Wu Sho village. He was walking around playing a flute as the villagers watched him closely. He stopped playing as he stood before a tea shop. He walked in and found himself a seat.

The waiter came up to him and asked him, "What would you like sir?"

"I'll take some dumplings and a cup of sake." he said.

"Why certainly sir." the waiter said as he turned around and went to the kitchen making the order.

Shouren looked around and saw some samurais and ninja of all kinds talking to one other. The waiter came out with his order and placed it on the table in front of him. Shouren placed a pure gold rock on the table for the waiter.

"Why thank you sir!" he said with a bow.

Shouren grabbed one of the sticks, brought it up to his mouth and took a bite of the dumpling. As he was eating his food, he could feel everyone staring at him. He took out two long kunais and stabbed them to the surface of the table. The kunais had a strange symbol on them. The symbol was of a dragon and a twilight setting. Everyone started to chatter as he finished his dumplings. He reached for the cup of sake, when someone sat down at his table and took the cup of sake, and poured it for Shouren. Shouren looked up at the person and noticed it was the same priestess from before.

"I would like to thank you kind sir...for helping me" she said.

He looked around as he nodded his head and took the cup and sips it.

A group of ninjas came down the road carrying a carriage. A bunch of ninjas and samurais got up and walked outside of the shop joining up with the other group. Moments later four more groups of ninjas and samurais came by carrying a carriage in each group. Shouren finishes his sake and grabbed his kunais and placed them back in the carrier as he looks at the priestess.

"Go home..." he said as he left and vanished.

"I can't-...too late..." she said.

Shouren was walking down an alleyway following the group. He appeared at a large manor when he was stopped by the guards.

"You can't be here...be gone." he said.

"I'm a rounin ninja I came here looking for work...someone told me I could get hired at this manor." Shouren said.

The guards looked at him and laughed.

"You couldn't possibly kill anyone...your just a kid." he said.

"You should judge by skill not age...idiot" Shouren said with a smirk.

"Why you" he said as he was about to draw his sword out, but was stopped immediately by a kunai to his throat.

"So may I enter or should I test out your theory of me not being able to kill someone...starting with you perhaps?" Shouren said.

The guards nodded as he moved away. Shouren slips the kunai back into his arm holster and walked into the manor. As he took a step in, he was surrounded by swords. He kept walking as the men around him kept the circle moving, until he stopped.

"Where is your leader? I wish to serve as their head ninja." he said.

The leader came out and looked at Shouren. He held up a hand and the men lowered their swords.

"What is it that you want ninja?" he asked.

"To be hired as a bodyguard...I've heard that someone is coming to kill everyone in the manor in a week and I've been waiting for a good fight." Shouren said.

"Tell me ninja, what else is it you know that you are hiding from me?" he asked.

"I know that none of your men will be able to survive...because I hear that person is wanted to be the number three killer named Reiseiryu..." said Shouren.

"Hmmm...That would be a problem...very well your hired." he said.

Shouren went down on one knee and bowed his head.