Dislcaimer: I don't own Naruto
A/N: A year since this story late updated, huh? I'm a little late.
The Swordsman
Yagura stamped out a few more papers and filed them away absentmindedly, barely paying any attention to what he was doing. Paperwork was like a chore. He tried to put it off for as long as he could but eventually got it done when he needed to. Yagura almost felt disappointed that paperwork was the only worthwhile thing for him to do nowadays. Missing ninja were either left alone or taken care of by his men or the swordsmen if they caused trouble within their borders. Not only that, but since Kirigakure was sort of the black sheep of the elemental nations it had no treaties with other villages, not even the minor ones. Yagura supposed that was mostly due to the village's reputation.
A reputation he had earned for the village.
Yagura sighed to himself as he signed a few more papers. Really, most of the papers consisted of signing off on what ninja had gone rogue, which ninja had been killed, how many residents decided to move out of the country, and the seldom mission requests Kirigakure received. Compared to the other villages, Kirigakure was probably one of the least prosperous. All they had to boast was their military strength since they ninja the village produced were very strong, and most of their income came from village profits or from ninja they had hired out like mercenaries to take on work in other villages.
Assuming those ninja they hired out came back…
Well, it wasn't like Kirigakure's economy was in any dire state of sort. Their reputation also guaranteed the messier, high paying jobs were usually tossed in their direction. Those with matters unclean and less honorable felt Kirigakure nin were best suited for the ugly jobs.
Yagura felt amusement at that. As if any ninja's career could be clean or honorable. They were ninja. Dishonor and deception should've been labeled in their job description. If anything they did seemed noble it was because of ulterior motives, working towards something greater. Yagura understood that. There was no honor or goodwill in the work of a ninja.
Yagura leaned back in his chair and sighed. So why did he bring the jinchuriki here on a whim?
There were two knocks on the door before the door to his office opened.
"Mizukage-sama."
Yagura turned away from his paperwork when he heard Ao enter.
Roshi followed after the Kirigakure ninja with a jovial smile on his face.
"Training under the Mizukage himself…" Roshi smiled as he took the seat in front of the Mizukage's desk, propping his feet up as he did so. "Aren't I the lucky one~!"
Yagura raised his hand just as Ao was about to make a remark about Roshi's behavior. The man looked displeased but silently took his place standing behind the Mizukage.
"Care for a sip?" Roshi asked, holding out his bottle of sake towards Yagura.
"I'm fine."
"Suit yourself."
"Roshi-san," Yagura began. "I would like to-"
"Kirigakure really is a nice place though. It's nothing like the rumors you hear about." Roshi interrupted him. "I had my doubts coming here, that's for sure. I mean, a place that gets the nickname 'Village in the Bloody Mist' wouldn't seem very homey to a lot of people, but you've been very accommodating so far!"
Yagura was silent.
"And a jinchuriki for a Kage… I wonder if the villagers know?" Roshi mused. "I haven't had a chance to see most of the village, what with being locked up in a stuffy room for those couple of days before moving into that clan house, which again, thank you very much for providing! But back to the village, I'm hoping to get a tour of it soon. If you're gonna keep me here for a year I'd like to know my way around the place. Maybe sample some food and drink while we're at it. What is Kirigakure's specialty? Iwa is known for its beef dishes. But you're right next to the ocean, so I assume most of what you got is more fishy?"
Yagura rubbed his forehead in slight exasperation as Roshi took a long swig from his drink.
"…Still, I've gotta know." Roshi said, taking his feet off the desk so he could lean forward. "What's your stake in this, Mizukage-sama? Why bring us all here?"
Yagura's face was impassive. Roshi stared into his hollow eyes.
"You can't tell me you brought us here on a whim and expect me to believe you." Roshi continued sternly. "What game are you trying to play here…?"
"There is really nothing more to it than what I've already told you." Yagura replied. "Call it a whim, call it curiosity, even I'm not sure. My desire is to help all of you, regardless of whether you believe me or not."
Roshi's eyebrows went up for a moment before he leaned back in his chair.
"Is that really are there is to it…?" Roshi wondered. "But bringing all the jinchuriki here to Kiri couldn't have been easy. Iwagakure has long since given up on myself and Han, but what of the other villages? Gaara was the Kazekage's son, wasn't he? Same with Bee being the Raikage's kid. They just let them go?"
"Mizukage-sama, you don't need to-"
Yagura shook his head and Ao spoke. The man sighed and stepped back while maintaining his glare on Roshi. Yagura didn't see the harm in answering the questions Roshi was asking him. He would have to in order to help the Yonbi's jinchuriki understand and help him with what he wanted to do…
"The Kazekage and I made an arrangement regarding Gaara, and the Raikage sent both Bee and Yugito here in hopes that I would provide them with the knowledge and means to control their bijuu." Yagura told him. "Negotiations went very smoothly."
"Hm… that so?" Roshi muttered. "What about the others? Fu, Utakata, and Naruto?"
"Fu and Utakata are like you and Han." Yagura answered. "They had no connection to the villages they resided in. They are here of their own free will."
"Isn't Utakata already a resident of Kirigakure?"
"Not quite. He acted on his own until just recently."
"And your offer made him change that?"
"Persuasive measures were taken. I dealt with Han in a similar matter." Yagura held up a hand to forestall Roshi as he opened his mouth. "However, I did not force either of them to come here. They came on their own."
He wouldn't say anything about how the Swordsman had brought Utakata here though…
Roshi nodded slowly and leaned back in the chair.
"…What about Naruto?"
Yagura was silent for a moment before he answered.
"He was little complicated, but he accepted my invitation the moment I offered it to him."
Roshi raised his eyebrows at the word "complicated", but let the matter slide for now. The older man smiled as he stroked his beard.
"I gotta say, I'm a little curious about Naruto and where he's from." Roshi mused. "He's got the strongest bijuu in his gut and he's just so happy all the time. I wonder how much abuse he got compared to the rest of us, if at all."
Yagura sighed at that.
"Roshi-san, I know for a fact that Naruto has gotten his fair share of poor treatment from his village. He hasn't had it any harder than you or the others have."
Roshi gave a bitter smile in response to that. "I wonder about that…"
The man's eyes widened as he waved his arms defensively and chuckled humorously.
"Ah, but I really like the kid! Bee too. Both of them are a riot. Yugito-chan and Fu-chan are both very cute girls, and Gaara seems like a nice kid. Utakata seems like the quiet type but Han is also pretty interesting. Even though we're both from Iwa I've never actually interacted with him until just yesterday…"
"Roshi-san, I have a something I'd like to ask of you." Yagura interrupted the man before he could go off on another tangent.
"I have a feeling I already know what it is."
"The jinchuriki… need someone to watch over them." Yagura said. "I'd like you to be the one to do that."
"Brought us all here and you're already foisting off the responsibility onto another, huh?" Roshi chuckled. "I thought that you already did that with the Swordsman though."
"That's-"
"A precaution if one of our bijuu gets unstable, right?" Roshi cut in. "It's fine, I understand. If I were in a position like yours I'd probably do the same. I mean, you said it yourself. You're the Mizukage and you can't always be bothered to take care of us since the village comes first. Plus, the Swordsman won't always be around since you'd probably need them for missions every so often. You need me to be the hawk the watches over our fellow containers when no one else can, right?"
Yagura stared at Roshi intently. Despite how the man acted, he was quite perceptive…
"Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm actually happy you came to me for the job." Roshi smiled, making Yagura blink at his sudden shift in attitude. He had sounded very accusing just a few moments ago. Roshi's expression turned wistful as he stared at the bottle in his hands. "The older ones have already been exposed to the cruelty of the world and some of the younger ones have yet to see the ugly side of things. Even still, all of them deserve better than what they've been given so far. I can see it. They're all good kids. Some of them are just a bit jaded because of how people treated them. If I can, I want to give my fellow jinchuriki some happiness."
Roshi smiled at Yagura.
"You may or may not feel the same as me, but I think this is a golden opportunity for all of us." Roshi grinned. "Whether it was just a whim or something on a hidden agenda, I want to thank you for giving us all the opportunity to start anew, Mizukage-sama. I think we have a chance to experience more than just hate and oppression now…"
Yagura was silent before turning away from Roshi's earnest face.
"…I didn't really do anything." Yagura muttered.
"Trust me, you did more for any of us than anyone else ever bothered to do." Roshi smiled. "Jinchuriki should stick together, right?"
Yagura gave a slow nod at that.
"I only have two conditions for becoming our little group's den mother though." Roshi said with a humorous tone. "One, is that you do spend time helping the others when you can. Don't just leave lessons to me once you teach me how to control my demon."
Yagura closed his eyes. This man really was really something…
"Two, is that I want you to be honest with me. About everything regarding the other jinchuriki." Roshi said. "If I'm going to help them, I need to understand everything about them. Agree to those two things, and I'll stay here for as long as you want." Roshi smirked. "Hell, if I decide that I like it here I might even decide to become a Kirigakure ninja!"
Yagura folded his hands in front of him as he thought it over. Really, it was the best possible offer he could've hoped for. With Roshi being so cooperative, he had no reason to refuse. He could handle those two conditions if it was just those two.
"Alright." Yagura nodded. "Thank you, Roshi-san."
"No, no, Mizukage-sama." Roshi smiled. "Thank YOU."
Naruto followed behind his new sensei as they walked through the forest, smiling from ear to ear, trying to come up with something to say. After he had been assigned to the man they had been given permission by Ao and Mai to spend the rest of the day getting to know each other. The others had been told to do the same with their senseis, with Roshi being pulled aside to be taken to the Mizukage by Ao. Mai had said she had some business to take care of before the Mizukage's advisors both left, leaving the jinchuriki with their assigned senseis.
Naruto was very happy to know he already had someone to teach him how to be an awesome ninja. He didn't even have to go to the academy like he would've back in Konoha! But his sensei hadn't really said anything to him after they had started their little walk. Where were they even going? Did his sensei like him? Naruto really wanted to know…
"Um, sensei…?" Naruto spoke up, testing out the word. "Where are we going?"
Kisame stopped and turned back towards the blond midget he had been assigned to babysit. The man gave Naruto a sharp grin as he answered.
"To get some grub. It's close to lunchtime now so I figured we could head to town and see what we can find to eat."
"Oh! That sounds good!" Naruto smiled as he rubbed his stomach. Han's breakfast had been very filling, but at the mention of food Naruto found himself getting hungry again. He was a growing boy, after all. "Where are we going to eat?"
"I didn't have anywhere specific in mind." Kisame replied as they resumed their trek.
"Can we go eat someplace that has ramen?"
"Ramen?" Kisame thought about that for a moment before giving a careless shrug. "I don't see why not. Actually doesn't sound too bad right now."
"YEAH!" Naruto cheered at the prospect of eating even more ramen. "Ramen! Ramen!"
Kisame's lips twitched upwards slightly as he watched the kid dance around in the corner of his eye. Excitable little brat was actually pretty entertaining. When comparing the kid to Yagura, it was hard to believe the child could be a jinchuriki. And the most powerful one at that if the brat really was the host of the Kyuubi.
Well, no, he should say that the demon inside him was the most powerful one. It wasn't the host. Kisame supposed he really shouldn't compare the kid to someone as powerful as the Mizukage in that case…
"Kisame-sensei?"
Kisame glanced down at the kid who was brightly smiling up at him.
"So, what are you going to teach me first?"
"Teach you?" Kisame asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who said I was gonna teach you anything?"
"E-Eh?!" Naruto stammered as he eyes went wide. "B-But you're a ninja, right? You're a super ninja who's supposed to be one of the strongest in Kirigakure, right?!"
That's what Ao-san had said about the Seven Swordsman, Naruto remembered. And Kisame was supposed to be one of those swordsman. One of the most powerful ninja in the land and one of the only ones permitted to carry around one of those super swords they had been told about!
"Super ninja, huh?" Kisame chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you could say I'm one of those."
"So you must know lots of cool jutsu and stuff!" Naruto said. "And since you're my sensei, you can teach me how to do all the things you can do, right?"
"Look kid, the Mizukage just ordered us to keep an eye on you guys for safety's sake." Kisame said it as though he was talking about the weather. "I don't know why our esteemed leader thought bringing a bunch of jinchuriki here was a good idea, but we're only supposed to make sure none of you go berserk or try anything funny while you're here since we're probably the only ones strong enough to hold off a demon if one of yours decides to get any funny ideas. The whole 'sensei' thing is just a formality."
Naruto felt his whole world shatter before the all consuming depression set in. The boy's shoulders slumped and cloud of gloom settled over his head as he dragged his feet along side his fake sensei.
So he wouldn't be learning any cool techniques then…
Kisame noticed Naruto's sudden shift in attitude and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. He hadn't expected the kid to get so depressed.
"Er… so I guess you really want to be a ninja then, huh?" Kisame asked with an uneasy smile.
Kisame blinked when the kid's face brightened and that smile returned to his face.
From happy to depressed to happy again. He wasn't fit to be dealings with kids…
"More than anything!" Naruto gushed as he waved his arms about. "Being a ninja is the coolest thing ever! They go on missions, can use jutsu and techniques that let them transform and shoot fireballs from their hands and walk on trees and tons of other stuff! They fight and defeat the bad guys and everyone likes them! I want to become a ninja so everyone will like me!"
Kisame was nonplussed as he stared down at the blond jinchuriki. After a few moments of silence Kisame doubled over and began howling with laughter. Naruto blinked in confusion as he watched his not sensei laugh. Naruto frowned to himself. He didn't think he said anything funny…
"AHAHAhaha… ahaha… haaaa… that was too good." Kisame smiled as he wiped a tear from his eye. "I haven't laughed that long in a long time…"
"Hey, are you making fun of me?" Naruto asked as he glared at Kisame.
"Nah, not really. Maybe. Sort of." Kisame grinned as they walked along. "Say kid-"
"My name is Naruto!"
"Fine, Naruto." Kisame restated. "Which village are you from?"
"Konohagakure!"
"Ah, that would explain it then." Kisame nodded to himself with an amused smile.
Only the prosperous villages could get away with brainwashing a kid into thinking something like that. A comfortable, safe environment made it easy to hide the ugly side of the profession. Konoha certainly sounded like a village that would be full of liars if Naruto's warped perspective on what a ninja was like was anything to go by.
Seriously, as if anyone could really 'like' a ninja with all the dirty deeds they had to do every day.
Kisame grinned to himself when the forest disappeared and buildings began to replace the trees. He started heading in the direction of the marketplace before stopping and turning back towards his tag along.
Kisame's eyebrows shot up when he noticed Naruto darting between the alleyways and light posts. The boy suddenly seemed very skittish and was keeping low to the ground, almost like he was hiding from something…
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Kisame called out to the kid.
Naruto froze when he felt Kisame's eyes on him along with the other villagers who had noticed him because of Kisame's shout. Naruto's eyes darted around frantically, gauging each of the villagers for their expressions and movements.
The boy found himself very surprised at what he saw.
There were no sneers and glares aimed at him in the small crowd. There were no people throwing things at him or preparing to. Naruto was shocked to find that some people were even smiling at him, as if they were amused by his actions! He didn't even… why weren't they glaring at him? Back in Konoha, everyone would glare at him. But these people…
"You wanna play hide and seek or something?"
Naruto jumped when he heard Kisame's voice next to him. The swordsman was staring down at him with a perplexed look on his face.
"Gotta say if that's what game you want to play, I'm at a bit of a disadvantage." Kisame pointed out with a frown. "The blue skin kinda makes me stand out…"
"Um, w-well, no that's not…" Naruto stuttered before swallowing his anxiety. "Um… Kisame-sensei…?"
"Yeah?"
"Um… why aren't they glaring at me?" Naruto asked, pointing to a few of the villagers.
Kisame's face twisted in confusion at that before the realization dawned on him. Kisame grinned and leaned close to Naruto's ear.
"They don't know about your condition." Kisame whispered to him. "To them, you're nothing but a regular kid. You won't be getting any of the crap you got back home."
Naruto's anxious expression immediately melted into a peaceful one at these words. That's right… the villagers hated him because of the demon fox inside him. They all knew about it somehow even when Naruto hadn't. Back in Konoha, everyone knew. In Kirigakure, only he knew…
Naruto came to a sudden conclusion at that.
Kirigakure was a much better place that Konohagakure. Here, nobody would glare at him.
"Don't just stand there." Kisame said as he turned on his heel and began walking again. "I'm still hungry, and weren't you all excited about getting ramen before? Hurry up."
Naruto beamed as he ran after his sensei.
"Yeah!"
As he happily walked beside the swordsman, Naruto wondered how Gaara and the others were doing with their senseis…
"So! What's you're name, boy?"
"G-Gaara!"
Jinin nodded and grinned down at the small boy in front of him. To think he finally had a student of his own. Granted, his actual mission was to monitor Gaara and make sure the Ichibi remained stable, but his gracious Kage had given him to train the boy if he wished! Jinin had always been jealous of Ameyuri, Mei and Zabuza for having apprentices of their own. Ameyuri had Raiga, Mei had Chojuro, and he had caught Zabuza teaching and directing other young ninja in his spare time. Though it was the Hozuki brothers whom he taught most of the time. But now he had his own apprentice, Gaara, and Jinin would train him to be the apprentice of all apprentices!
"And the apprentice of apprentices you shall be!" Jinin shouted, voicing his thoughts aloud.
"W-What…?"
"'What' is not the question! 'Yes' is the answer I demand!" Jinin bellowed, nearly causing Gaara to jump three feet in the air. "You want to be a ninja!"
"I… I do?"
"Of course you do! You would not refer do me as sensei if you did not!"
"E-Eh?!"
"We begin our training today! We'll train day and night, showing that Jinin's precious apprentice is the best apprentice of all!" Jinin shouted. "And then Mei and Ameyuri will both see how great a man I am for taking you under my wing and maybe that uppity brat Zabuza will finally treat his superiors with some respect! GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Jinin threw his head back as he continued to laugh, imagining the two beautiful sword maidens swooning over him and Zabuza admitting that he was his better. And best of all, he would be able to make the Mizukage proud!
"Now, first we should-!"
Jinin blinked when he saw a splotch of red hair retreating into the distance. The man panicked and took off after Gaara.
"W-Wait! I'm not the best runner! Don't go! Did I say something to offend you, my student?!"
Gaara picked up spend, his expression one of open fear. He had to get away from the loud man and find Naruto! His friend would protect him!
"Oh!"
Yugito clapped her hands to applaud her new sensei as she demonstrated her abilities. Ameyuri lowered the two Kiba as the sparks settled down. The woman enjoyed the blonde girl's reaction to her little show. It was only a cheap trick, but it created a nice effect.
"Um, Ameyuri-san?" Yugito asked.
"Not sensei?" Ameyuri asked with a teasing smile. Yugito scratched her cheek in slight embarrassment as her face flushed a bit.
"Ah, um… I wouldn't want to presume. You're really only supposed to watch over us, yes? It's similar to how Bee and I were treated back in Kumo." Yugito smiled. "I'm just a stranger to you, a foreigner at that. I don't think it would be proper to teach your techniques to someone like me. Besides, Raiga-san is already your apprentice, so…"
Raiga arched his eyebrows at the girl who stood beside him. She was polite. Almost too polite, really…
"It's not like I spend all my time teaching Raiga. Having him around is more or less a way to stave off boredom."
"Sensei…"
"Just kidding, Raiga-kun. That was a joke." Ameyuri giggled to herself.
Raiga frowned and grumbled to himself.
"The Kiba Boltswords…" Yugito murmured as she stared at the two swords Ameyuri was holding. "One of Kirigakure's famous swords…"
"Seven swords and seven swordsman." Ameyuri nodded. She smirked and twirled around one of her swords. "Though, shouldn't it be eight swords? Kiba has is two blades, after all. The twin might feel left out…"
"Sensei…"
Raiga sighed when he heard Yugito giggle next to him. He cringed when he saw the glint in his sensei's eye. Now that she had gotten a laugh it would be hard to get her to stop.
"Want to see that technique again?" Ameyuri asked.
"Yes!" Yugito cheered before stopping and composing herself. "I-I mean, if you wouldn't mind…"
Ameyuri smiled and crossed the blades together. Sparks crack and jump off the two swords as the woman brought them apart and began rotating them, using her chakra affinity to build up power until she raised the swords and released the electricity in one burst. A blue ball of plasma shot into the sky, exploding into a shower of pretty sparks that fizzled out as the static and electricity discharged. Ameyuri lowered the blades a smiled at Yugito.
"Shocking, isn't it?"
Yugito fell over as Raiga slapped his hand over his forehead after hearing his teacher's terrible pun.
"Sensei…"
Ameyuri clicked her tongue at their reactions. She would have to work on that joke a bit more…
Utakata sighed to himself as he followed his… sensei, into the bar. Even having one was bad enough, but to get HER out of all the Seven Ninja Swordsman?
Mei smiled to herself and took in the fresh smell of good booze as she led her apprentice and her new student into the bar. When the barkeep noticed her, he gave a defeated sigh before pulling out a bottle of sake and sliding it over the counter in her direction. Mei smiled and took the bottle, winking at the bartender who only rolled his eyes in response. Mei took a seat at a booth nearby, pulling Chojuro down to sit next to her while Utakata reluctantly took a seat across from them. The jinchuriki glanced at the blue haired boy who casually looked around the bar. Utakata slapped his forehead. Her apprentice was behaving like this in a bar full of loud, obnoxious drinkers and if the bartender's reaction to Mei was anything to go by, Utakata could probably assume Mei was a regular here.
He wasn't surprised by that at all.
"So, Utakata-chan." Mei smiled at him. Utakata's eyebrow twitched at the suffix. "Tell us about yourself!"
"…I think I'll refrain." Utakata said with as much false politeness as he could muster.
"Mou, don't be like that!" Mei giggled. "We should take this opportunity to get to know one another! You're going to be staying in Kirigakure for at least a year from what I was told, so wouldn't it be better to learn about the two people you'll be spending most of your time with?"
Not if he had anything to say about it.
"Um, Utakata-san?" Chojuro spoke up. Utakata ignored Mei in favor of the boy who was at least being polite. "Kirigakure is your home country, right?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"S-So then why were you a rogue ninja if you don't mind me asking?"
"Other than the fact that my 'condition' made it hard for most people to stand being around me?" Utakata replied, making Chojuro wince and duck his head shamefully. "It was because the village didn't really have anything to offer me and I didn't like the idea of working for another person. I had my own problems to deal with and preferred to handle them alone without interference."
"Hm…? Is that so?" Mei smiled as she playfully tapped a finger against her lips. "What about your sensei, Utakata-chan?"
Utakata's teeth grinded together as he glared daggers at Mei who only smiled demurely in response, not the least bit fazed by his ire.
"Do not speak of that scum." Utakata snarled. "Not in front of me."
"You have such a charming face too… yet you're so distant and angry." Mei pouted as she took a drink. "But how can I help myself? We wouldn't have anything to talk about if I hadn't done that background check on you…"
Utakata's eyes widened as his anger flared.
"We have absolutely nothing on the other containers, so I'm glad you were assigned to me. Since you're native to the Land of Water, we had a bit of information on you. And we do keep tabs on our own jinchuriki. Really, I wouldn't have known what to do if I was paired with any of the other jinchuriki.
"You…"
"Don't be so hostile!" Mei said, giving Utakata a warm smile. He patted her chest as she gestured to herself. "You can confide in me! Tell me anything you want. I look out for my students. I'm your sensei, after all~!"
Utakata's fists slammed down on the table loudly. The commotion in the bar ceased as some patrons looked over towards their table. Utakata's face was contorted in fury as he glared at Mei, who calmly stared back at him.
"I will never call you sensei or even think of you as such."
After growling that out Utakata left the table and stormed out of the bar. Mei sighed and knocked back her drink as the patrons returned to what they were doing, though some of them glanced towards them and mumbled under their breath.
"S-Sensei, weren't you a little too…?"
"It's fine, Chojuro." Mei smiled, waving off her student's worries. "He'll come around. He just had some issues with his old sensei that's making him hold a few grudges about getting a new one. Be nice to him, okay? He's your fellow apprentice now."
"I-I know. And I suppose he has a right to be angry after all he's gone through but…" Chojuro trailed off. "He shouldn't have said something like that to you…"
Mei smiled at her apprentice and pulled him into a hug.
"At least I have one cute apprentice who likes me." Mei smiled as Chojuro's face went red. "Utakata-chan will accept the both of us sooner or later. We just have to be persistent!"
"Y-Yes, sensei…"
Mei smiled as she took another drink. Two students to teach… having Chojuro was fun but now she had Utakata to take care of too. Well, she'd show him that she was the best sensei ever! He'd be calling her "Terumi-sensei" in no time.
Kushimaru stared down at the girl in front of him.
Fu had to lean back to stare back at the tall man towering above her. The girl glared at him.
"You're too tall." Fu frowned.
"Ah, hm… you think so?" Kushimaru wondered, happy that the girl had finally said something. She had done nothing but glare at him for the past ten minutes and he hadn't been able to come up with anything to say to her.
"Yeah. No one should be that tall. You're too tall." Fu repeated, nodding to herself as if this was a fact.
"I can't help it if I'm tall. This was just how I grew up." Kushimaru defended himself.
Fu pouted and turned her head down. Her eyes only reached just above his knees. Kushimaru sat down and leaned forward so she would have an easier time talking to him.
"So… Fu-chan." Kushimaru began. "Um… where are you from?"
"Takigakure."
"…I'm from Kirigakure."
"I know."
"…Do you have any hobbies?" Kushimaru tried.
"Hobbies?"
"Things you like to do." The swordsman clarified
Fu's face scrunched up for a moment as she thought about that. She nodded to herself and proudly placed her hands on her hips.
"I like climbing." Fu smiled.
"Climbing?"
"Trees and stuff." Fu elaborated. "I'm really good at it."
"I see." Kushimaru nodded, glad he was finally getting somewhere. He smiled behind his mask as he dug around in his pouch pocket and pulled out a roll of red cloth and a needle.
Fu tilted her head curiously at the items the tall man had produced.
"I like to sew." Kushimaru said proudly.
"You know, I'm actually training to become a swordsman myself!"
Jinpachi glanced up from the book he was reading. Bee smiled at the man from across the table. The two had gone into town after the meeting at the training grounds had ended and Jinpachi had offered to buy Bee lunch. He figured it was a good way to break the ice and help get the teen situated in Kirigakure. They hadn't had any problems so far, except for when Bee would suddenly break into rap…
"Is that so?" Jinpachi asked, turning a page in his book.
"Yep!" Bee grinned. "Swinging swords is just… it's got a better feel than throwing around shuriken or kunai. Just a couple of quick slashes and everything in front of you dies!"
Jinpachi sighed at the attempt at a rhyme. "There's more to swordsmanship than just that…"
"I know, but I was just saying." Bee smiled. He finished off his beef bowl and picked up his two chopsticks, holding them in his hands like tiny swords. "I can already use two pretty well! See? Like this! And this!"
The swordsman looked on impassively as Bee began to swing around the chopsticks like they were actual swords. The man sighed and shook his head at Bee's impromptu demonstration. There was a time and place for such foolishness, and in a public restaurant where everyone else could see in the middle of the day was not the time to demonstrate chopstick swordsmanship.
People were staring…
"Or something like that anyway." Bee said, thankfully deciding to stop waving around those chopsticks. "Hey, Jinpachi-san?"
"Hm?"
"What are the Seven Ninja Swordsman like?"
"What makes you ask that?"
"I don't know." Bee shrugged. "I'm just wondering what you think about the other swordsman. I'm other ninja have their opinions based on rumors and reputation, but I want to hear it from one of the swordsman himself! I mean, how many people can say they've had an opportunity to sit down and talk with you like I have?"
Jinpachi thought a bit about that. Mei and Jinin were probably the most social of the swordsman while the others, him especially, mostly just kept to themselves. Ninja weren't meant to form connections, and Jinpachi saw no reason to. He did not consider the other swordsman his friends, he saw them as associates in work. He didn't like all of them, but he respected them as ninja.
"What would you like to know?" Jinpachi asked. He didn't see the harm in indulging the boy a little. It wouldn't do any harm.
"Just, y'know, what are they like as people and how would you rate them?" Bee asked curiously.
Jinpachi leaned back in his seat as he gave the matter some thought. "Each swordsman is a titan. A warrior so strong that any one of us could take down a small army single-handedly. And that's without our swords. We weren't selected to become the ninja swordsman due to our proficiency in wielding our blades, we earned our positions through our own individual skills."
Jinpachi chose not to mention some of the quirks he felt the other swordsman could do without. Mei's drinking, Kushimaru's hobby, Ameyuri's puns… Jinin's shouting…
"How did you guys become swordsman?" Bee asked, beginning to really get into the conversation.
"Well, Jinin and myself are the oldest members. Following us there's Ameyuri, Zabuza and Kushimaru. Then the most recent members are Kisame and Mei."
"How recent we talking here?"
"They both became swordsman around the time Yagura became the Mizukage. Ameyuri and Kushimaru a little bit before that, but only by a few months. Zabuza was a swordsman for a year or two before them. Jinin and I, however, have been part of the Seven Swords for years and years. We were swordsman during the old Mizukage's reign…"
"Did you have problems taking orders from Yagura at first since you guys had worked under another Kage?"
"Hm? Oh, no, the Seven Swordsman were an independent group during the Sandaime Mizukage's reign."
"Really? Why's that?"
"A lesser known fact is that the legendary blades each of us all wield were once spread out throughout the Land of Water, either owned by who had been the current swordsman or hidden away someplace by a wielder who died and didn't want to relinquish the weapon. Yagura, our Mizukage, was the one who brought the Ninja Swordsman together and created the group itself. It was one of the first things he did in his rise to power."
"Wow… so how did you guys become the Ninja Swordsman?" Bee asked. "Like, individually?"
"I know Jinin acquired his blade when his father passed it down to him. He was the wielder of the Bluntsword before he passed it on." Jinpachi answered. "I acquired the Blastsword when I was a freelance ninja during the previous Mizukage's time. I found it in an abandoned mine trying to escape some hunter ninja I had been trying escape from after I had been hired to kill a friend of theirs. I found Shibaki and used it to bring the entire mine down on my hunters. I've had it with me ever since."
"And what about the others?" Bee asked excitedly.
"I don't know about the others." Jinpachi said bluntly. "All I know for certain is that each one of them killed the previous owners to get the legendary blades they all wield now. If you want to know the stories behind how they did, go ask them."
Bee's eyes widened at that. They had all killed the old swordsman? What the… well, he had heard about Kirigakure's bloody civil war that had gone not even a decade ago. He could see how some of the swordsman could have been killed by the current generation in an environment like that.
"Good enough for you?" Jinpachi asked.
"Ah, yeah. It's cool to know all that. Thanks for telling me." Bee smiled. "Hey, since I'm technically I'm your student and you're my sensei, is there any chance of me inheriting Shibaki?"
"Only if you kill me."
Bee gaped silently at Jinpachi who calmly sipped his tea in response. A small smirk formed on Jinpachi's face after a few minutes as he turned back to his book.
"Afraid you can't do it?" Jinpachi asked.
Bee was more worried by the fact that he hadn't said he was just joking.
Han shoved past the crowd as he made his way through the village. Once he had ditched the Mizukage's advisors and left his fellow jinchuriki behind, the Gobi container had decided to spend his time exploring the village. He hadn't really had the opportunity to take a look around the place and now was a good a time as any. It was more productive than following Ao or Mai along, in any case.
The village itself was far less crowded than Iwagakure. The marketplaces were bustling with activity but there weren't as much people as Han had expected, and other than those places there weren't very many people standing around. The buildings were in good shape though some looked more rundown and dirtier than others. Han also noted that unless it was a shop of some sort, most buildings had windows that were covered up or had the blinds down, preventing anyone from looking standing outside from looking inside.
He supposed that stereotype of all Kirigakure villagers being paranoid wrecks held some truth after all. Kirigakure was more like a larger, cleaner war bunker than anything else. The people seemed to keep to themselves unless they had business in town, they were friendly unless someone made a move that could be interpreted as hostile, and some ninja walked around as if they owned the damn place.
Han watched as two ninja, chunin if their flak jackets were anything to go by, began roughing up a smaller man who ducked in on himself like a turtle, hoping he could hide from the two browbeats. Han chuckled with dark amusement when one of the ninja kicked the helpless man to the ground.
Deciding to test something out, Han suddenly stepped forward in front of a woman passing by and gave her an ugly, intimidating sneer when she turned her face up to look at him. The woman screamed and immediately took off running. Han watched with a smirk as the woman went, noting that the villagers who had been watching had either retreated back inside their houses or ignored what had just transpired right in front of their eyes.
Given what he had heard about Kirigakure, Han supposed that their reactions were fitting. It wasn't like the villagers could stand up to a strong ninja, and the shinobi just took advantage of that if it suited them.
The weak were food for the strong it seemed.
Han found himself liking the village a bit more after deducing that.
Content with his observations and analysis of the village and its people, Han decided to head back to the small clan district where he and the other jinchuriki were staying. It was only a little past noon so he hoped that most of the others were still out, probably following around their so called "senseis" Han supposed. He scoffed at that. Like he would be following orders from anyone else or let someone hound him 24/7. He hated it when people watched him or tried bossing him around. He'd listen to the Mizukage to some extent, but anyone else he would promptly ignore.
No one told him what to do.
Han stepped into the district grounds and headed towards the main house. He would have to ask Yagura where he could get materials for his armor. He had plenty to work with for now, but without hunter ninja hounding him like they did in Iwagakure he could relax and immerse himself in his work. Hell, he might even be able to have his armor completed within the year with the peace and quiet he'd be getting as compared to all the dodging around he had to do before. The plates could be kept intact more easily and he wouldn't even have to waste time repairing them now that he had a safe place to keep them…
The tall jinchuriki was so lost in his musings and excitement over the prospect of finally being able to complete his work that he only noticed the noise coming from the kitchen when he was in the room adjacent to it. Han frowned when he heard glass breaking. Grumbling to himself, Han stepped into the kitchen to yell at whichever one of the jinchuriki was making a mess of the kitchen. After all, that's where he'd be spending his spare time to cook and he didn't want any of the utensils broken or the food wasted!
Han blinked at the white haired boy who suddenly froze in front of him. The boy had an armful of boxes and packages in his arms with a biscuit held between his teeth. All the cabinets were opened up and Han could spot the broken plates and glass littered around the floor. Han momentarily turned his attention away from the petrified brat for a moment and looked towards the open pantry door. He could hear someone shuffling around inside it.
It didn't take a genius to know what was going on here. They were being robbed.
Han's eyes narrowed.
"Man, I thought this place was deserted!" Mangetsu laughed as he walked out of the pantry, his own arms filled with food. "Looks like some suckers decided to move in and leave all this out for-"
Mangetsu stopped talking when he noticed his little brother standing motionless in front of him. The teenager's eyes widened when he saw the tall, pissed off guy glaring at the two of them.
"Who the fuck are you two and what the hell do you think you're doing with all that food?" Han demanded with a low, dangerous tone.
Suigetsu had backpedaled to stand beside his brother. Mangetsu simply stared at Han with an impassive look on his face before calmly opening his mouth, already knowing how to deal with this sudden turn of events.
"CHEESE IT!"
Han blinked and stood in shock for a moment as the two brats suddenly disappeared. Clenching his fists angrily, Han slowly took a deep, calming breath before a smile rose to his face.
This was fine. It was funny whenever they tried to run.
"Ha, ha! What a sucker!" Mangetsu chortled as he and his brother shot out the door and towards the exit of the district, food held firmly in their hands. "Suigetsu, is he following us?!"
"No! We're good!" Suigetsu grinned as he tailed behind his brother.
"Awesome! This stuff should last us at least a week if we-!"
Mangetsu yelped when suddenly ran into something hard. He fell on his back as the food scattered to the ground. Rubbing his head as he sat up, Mangetsu frowned to himself. What had he run into? Mangetsu's eyes widened as he looked up.
And up.
Han smiled as he cracked his knuckles. Mangetsu gaped at him while Suigetsu just shook in place. The look on the jinchuriki's face was terrifying.
"I hope you're ready to pay for that food you just tried to steal." Han said.
Mangetsu just stared.
"It won't cost much. Just your life." Han said casually.
"Isn't that a little steep?!"
"Nah. Your lives aren't worth much." Han said with a shrug. He grinned and brought his fist down on the thief's head.
Han blinked when his whole arm was suddenly soaked with water and the kid was gone.
"Hah! You dumb bastard!"
Han's growled to himself and turned around, watching Mangetsu's liquid body reconstitute and stick his tongue out at him.
"Our Kekkai Genkai let's us turn our bodies into water! This ain't flesh! It's liquid!" Mangetsu laughed triumphantly.
Han took another calming breath before standing up and flexing his hand. He ignored the smaller brat behind him and focused all his attention on the older brat who thought he was smart enough to fuck with him.
"So your body essentially just water, huh?" Han asked, trying to confirm something. "It has all the same properties as any other liquid, right?"
"What, didn't you hear me the first time?!" Mangetsu sneered. "I've still got organs and blood and stuff, but I can convert anything into water! It's all just water! You can't hit me!"
Mangetsu blinked in confusion when a sadistic smile suddenly stretched across Han's face.
Mai made her way to the jinchuriki district at her own pace. Behind her, Zabuza lazily dragged his feet across the ground. Since the jinchuriki he had been assigned to turned tail and left, Ao had ordered him to patrol the village with Mai. He hadn't particularly cared when Han had left before, but he hadn't wanted to get stuck with patrol duty as an alternative. And he still had to go and at least introduce himself to the guy, even though he had already said many times over that he didn't want to become anyone's sensei.
But every time he said that Mai reminded him of Mangetsu, Suigetsu and the other ninja she knew he taught.
Zabuza scoffed to himself. He anyone's sensei or mentor. He just didn't mind giving a few pointers to the lost lambs every once in a while. Some of the twerps and younger ninja had potential, and what kind of man was he if he just stood around and let it go to waste?
"Can't say I'm looking forward to formally introducing myself to the Gobi container." Zabuza muttered. "Doubt he'll do anything I tell him to."
"Oh? Too much to handle for you, Zabuza?"
"No. I just don't see the point in wasting my time hanging around someone who's plenty strong and probably already has his demon cowed."
Mai turned her head and raised her eyebrow at the man.
"What makes you think Han has mastered the Gobi's chakra?"
"I didn't say he mastered the Gobi's chakra, but I read the report after that first night." Zabuza retorted. "Han had the least problems. Hell, he had absolutely NO problems during their little meeting in containment. Plus, with a kid with as much bloodlust as him, I doubt a demon could do much to change what's already there."
Mai frowned to herself as she thought of the Gobi container. While she was relieved that they probably have any problems with the demon, the host was in definite need of an attitude adjustment. If Zabuza was still unwilling to give it, then perhaps it would be best to-
"Hello there, Mai-san. Zabuza-san."
Both Mai and Zabuza blinked as a voice greeted them from… below…?
The two Kirigakure ninja just stared down at the head of red hair stuck in the ground. A familiar face was smiling up at the two of them.
"Wha… uh… Roshi… san…?" Mai sputtered, staring at the head in the ground with a bewildered look on her face.
"Afternoon." Roshi smiled. The man pouted and turned away. "You know, I thought that the Kirigakure ninja robes were stylish at first, but now I find myself hating them. I can't see anything good from down here while that's in the way…"
Mai gave an amused chuckle as the man smiled at his joke and pulled his body out of the ground. Zabuza just continued to stare incredulously at the man who had sprouted out of the ground like some kind of plant.
"Is there a reason you were stuck in the ground like that?" Mai asked.
"It's faster to avoid crowds if I just dig underground." Roshi smiled. "Gets me to where I need to go in the blink of an eye!"
"You… dug all the way here from the Mizukage's tower?"
"There's more to it than that, but don't worry about it. I just had the most enlightening discussion with our dear Mizukage!"
"I see…" Mai said slowly. "And what did you think…?"
"You have nothing to worry about." Roshi smiled, patting his chest with his fist confidently. "You all can count on me."
Mai's expression relaxed. "That's good to know."
"So, where are you and Zabuza-san headed?"
"To the district all of you are staying at. We were going to wait for Han to show up so we could… discuss his attitude at the meeting earlier today and how he left without proper permission."
"Oooh! I'd like to watch that!"
"You're welcome to." Mai smiled. "Now, why don't we-"
"GAAAAAAAARRAHAHFHAAAAGH!"
The three of them heard the bloodcurdling scream of pain and anguish and took off down the road towards the sound. They made it to the entrance of the jinchuriki district in time to see someone barrel out of the entrance, screaming all the while.
Zabuza recognized the figure immediately.
"Mangetsu?"
"AAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGHHH! MY FLESH IS BURNING!"
The teen collapsed to the ground and began rolling around on the ground with his hands covering his face. As the three older ninja observed him, they noticed that a fair amount of steam was rising out from between his hands and his skin looked red and appeared to be… boiling…
Mangetsu's face was boiling.
Roshi heard Mai slap her forehead as they both reached the same conclusion.
"Han." Mai sighed. "To think he would be able to foil even those two…"
As if on cue, Han walked out of the entranceway. Suigetsu's head was clutched in one of his hands, dangling the boy above the ground as the younger Hozuki tried not to void his bowels due to fear of the situation he and his brother were in.
To think the new guy had been someone who could actually HURT them… they had terrible luck.
"Ow… ow… OW!" Mangetsu hissed as he brought his hands away from his red face. His eyes widened when he saw his brother in the clutches of the monster.
"N-Nii-san…" Suigetsu stammered. "H-Help…"
Mangetsu stared in silence for a few moments before he got up and bowed.
"Suigetsu… you were a good brother…"
"...Eh?"
"You might have been a brat sometimes, and there were times where we didn't quite get along, but you were a good little brother. I'll never forget your sacrifice."
"WHAT?! YOU'RE LEAVING ME! YOU ASSHOLE!"
"Yes, but your death will be remembered. Once I climb to the top I'll look back on this day, remembering as you saw me off with a smile."
"I'M NOT SMILING YOU DOUCHEBAG!"
"Farewell, dear brother. I'll always love you."
Giving him a sharp salute, Mangetsu took off down the road. Roshi, Mai and Zabuza stared after him in silence for a few moments before Roshi spoke up.
"They should do stand-up." Roshi grinned. "That older one even managed to squeeze out a dramatic tear as he ran away…"
"Geez, those two…" Zabuza groaned. "Always messing around…"
"Hey."
The three of them turned towards Han. The jinchuriki held out Suigetsu with a irritated look on his face.
"Does this belong to any of you?" Han asked.
A/N: There we go. More to come within the year.
Now that I'm back I'm glad to get this chapter out. More character development to come and we'll learn more about the jinchuriki and the swordsman as time goes on. What I'm really looking forward to are the interactions between everyone. It's gonna be so much fun developing the jinchuriki we haven't seen much of. And then there's the bijuu themselves... well, that'll come eventually.
Anyway, sorry for the long wait and please ignore any grammer mistakes for the time being. I'll come back and edit this chapter later. Anyone still reading this? I loved this story since I thought it had lots of potential, and it still does! Well, regardless, thanks for reading everyone. Hope you enjoyed it and the next one is coming in less than a year, that I promise.
Kiiam