Chapter 22
Karate Island was… different.
Raiju had expected some kind of Marine Training Camp with large spaces and disciplined and curt citizens whereas Itachi had expected something along the lines of an island full of Taijutsu specialists with training grounds scattered around but otherwise normal architecture and lifestyle.
What they got was… a chaotic place full of spars on the street and Martial Arts nuts everywhere. Dojos and dorms outnumbered private housing 4:1 and the whole space that wasn't covered by those had been converted into training grounds, challenge fields, and even more training grounds. There wasn't anything else on the island.
Most people here lived in a dojo, breathed in a dojo, and slept in a dojo, devoting their whole lives to the pursuit of Martial Arts. Shops or businesses were only run by outsiders, those having been forced to retire but unwilling to leave or otherwise unable to practice, or relatives and family of a Martial Artist who were themselves not into the sport.
There was exactly 1 small, tucked out-of-the-way market for daily necessities, containing around 5 stands. Yet, there were another three exclusively for armor shops, training manuals, training equipment, and the occasional weapon, and combat clothing at the heart of the place.
Yet, despite the fact there were facilities accessible everywhere, people didn't seem to care where they were when they started to spar. It seemed to be commonly acceptable to openly fight on the streets as long as no maiming or killing occurred and only 1 small hospital existed on the island. It seemed combat injuries were only treated if they'd have long-lasting consequences for one's fighting career.
Honestly, the place would almost seem like a criminal's paradise, if it weren't for the many Marines visible about the place, actually joining in on the action.
It seemed even they decided to adopt the locals' ways in their actions and were openly seen sparring at the side of the road without a care. Conflicts were solved with spars, negotiations were conducted with spars, and spars even sometimes substituted for currency, it was that crazy.
It was perfect.
Itachi was convinced he'd be able to really drive the basics into Raiju's head in this kind of environment. At the same time, with people openly sparring and showing their capabilities like this, a thorough investigation should be concluded pretty quickly.
He couldn't be careless though. The true masters often stayed hidden and didn't participate in the hustle of everyday life, even in the Elemental Nations.
Still… the island being run as it was meant…
"There's no inn, huh", Raiju muttered to herself.
As expected, the hospitality industry was non-existent. It seemed they'd have to either join a dojo or somehow rent the room of a dojo somehow.
"Let's look around first. The day is still young."
"Un", Raiju nodded in agreement.
They made their way away from the city center, slowly exploring the place and memorizing the confusing layout.
Itachi had figured out a pattern soon after they arrived but Raiju was still as confused and lost as at the beginning. He had thus made it a challenge for her to ascertain it. If she could, he had agreed to create a clone for her to command exclusively for a single day of her choosing.
If he had simply made it part of her training, she'd be less motivated to succeed. Oh, she'd have still tried, of course. She was a woman of her word after all. Just… not as hard as she was now.
He watched on in amusement as she muttered a curse under her breath as her latest theory was proven wrong once again. It would seem she still had some ways to go.
Suddenly, his gaze flickered for just a moment and he tensed unnoticeably. Itachi kept his eyes to the front but his attention on his surroundings.
On Karate Island it wasn't weird if recruiters for a school of Martial Arts or a dojo watched newcomers and then recruit the interesting ones by challenging them to a fight. After all, a dojo or school thrived through the talent and achievement of its disciples.
And when they had arrived, Itachi and Raiju hadn't bothered to really try to hide their proficiency in combat. Or rather, Raiju hadn't hidden it at all, and Itachi had adjusted his tells to those of someone much weaker than he actually was, yet still stronger than Raiju, who was herself already pretty capable.
So, they had acquired quite the tail after walking around for so long. They could tell they were already capable to a degree and, since they didn't bear the markings of a dojo or school and wore clothing unlike the locals, were outsiders and thus, open pickings.
Just now, someone with a very bloodthirsty aura had joined the other 11 who had been dogging their heels. With that fellow joining the fray, he wasn't expecting to stay unmolested much longer.
He was right.
Not even 5 minutes later, someone cleared their throat behind them to catch their attention.
The person who had gotten their attention was a tall muscled man with a clean shaved head and a serene smile on his square face. His appearance and air reminded Itachi strongly of a Shinto priest he'd once seen if that priest wore a Martial Arts Gi.
"Greetings", the man greeted, not unkindly, then fixed Itachi, with a determined look. They were clearly traveling together, and he could tell the woman was taking her cues from the teen. Plus, he was stronger than his companion, thus deserving more respect in his mind.
"I represent the Rising Dragon Dojo and hereby challenge you to a spar. Should I win I request for you to accept an invitation for both of you to join us."
""Greetings"", they echoed his greeting.
"Then, what about if I win?", Itachi asked lightly.
A surprised look flashed over the challenger's face for a moment and his lips twitched in slight ridicule.
"You won't.", he said confidently. After all, these two strangers hadn't even seemed to notice him and the other recruiters tailing them, how could they hope to match them in combat then?
"But very well. What is it you want should you win?"
"Exclusive use of a room in the dojo and your facilities for a month"
The recruiter shook his head regretfully.
"I don't have the authority to guarantee something like that."
"Hn", Itachi tilted his head in thought. Was there anything else useful he could get out of the man then?
"But I do.", another voice interrupted their exchange. It was another man, slightly taller and more muscled than the one before them, measuring just above 2m tall.
Seriously, the height differences were starting to get ridiculous. Itachi himself was only 1,76m tall. He had thought he was about average, yet here, nearly 70% of people he'd met were above 2m tall, some even reaching a ridiculous height of 7m. Yes, people. Not even most men, but even most women towered over the ninja, and those people weren't even giants. Don't even get him started on those. At this rate, he may develop a complex about it.
Anyhow, back to the new arrival.
He appeared to be in his early 30s. He had shaggy bright red hair that stood up haphazardly and equally red eyes that popped out even more due to the dark circles he sported. His skin was pale, almost unhealthily so but it seemed natural on him. The smile he graced them with showed way too many teeth to be considered friendly
It was the newcomer who was radiating bloodlust earlier.
"Eustass", the recruiter said in a near hiss, his dislike for the man apparent. Apparently, he was a well-known individual and butted into others' challenges a lot. He seemed like the type to just love a good fight and care about the consequences later. Or never.
The redhead merely graced the man with a haughty look before turning back to fix his eyes on Itachi.
"What say you, kid? No weapons. I win, you join my Dojo. You win, I'll let you use our facilities and a room for a month."
"Listen, this person is-", the recruiter tried to warn them about something but got cut off by the man once more.
"Oh, buzz off. I'm talking to this kid, not you."
Seeing as Itachi and Raiju showed no signs of discomfort in front of the man, nor did they comment, the recruiter could only sigh and wait for the teenager to answer since he knew he couldn't beat Eustass in a spar anyhow.
"Hn", Itachi grunted, "very well."
He didn't even bother taking off his cloak, merely motioning for Raiju to stand aside and observe.
Wordlessly, she joined the other recruiter at the side of the road and focused her attention on the two opponents about to face off in the middle of the street as if it was normal.
People automatically made a detour around them, as if unconsciously knowing what was happening. They probably did. They could smell a fight from a mile away and didn't even need to look to evade an area.
"He'll lose, you know", the recruiter commented lowly. "Eustass Zed is the heir of the Hidden Sword school. They're well known for their ruthlessness and viciousness in battle. In fact, they nearly got banned several times due to their morally grey practices. Regardless, their strength is real."
Raiju stared at him out of the corner of her eyes pensively but didn't argue.
"We'll see", she simply said.
Actually, she had no idea just how strong Itachi was in hand-to-hand combat. She knew he was overwhelmingly stronger than she was, but she'd never gotten the chance to really see him fight against someone who knew what they were doing.
She herself didn't even know how she'd measure up either. After all, she could hardly fight against anyone properly with the chance of them hitting her stomach and hurting the baby growing inside.
The redhead and the ninja were merely standing there for several moments, observing the other and coming up with a plan of attack, before Zed got impatient and decided to begin.
He kicked off the ground hard, catapulting himself towards Itachi. He'd covered the distance in the blink of an eye and was almost upon his target.
The ninja didn't move, merely staring at the man until his fist nearly collided with his face. He then merely tilted his head to evade, raising his arms towards the mans outstretched arm and using the force of his throw to yank him ever so slightly off balance, which was enough for Itachi to capitalize on. He bent his knees ever so slightly and threw him over his shoulder.
Surprised, Zed floundered for a split second before managing to find his balance once more and rolled upon impact, getting right back to his feet.
His lips stretched into an excited grin. This would be even more fun than he'd thought.
The next exchange was fast and personal. Zed didn't hesitate to lunge forward once again. He learned from the previous encounter though and didn't give Itachi the same kind of opening again. Instead, he went for the upper body, also performing several kicks that were hard to evade, forcing Itachi to literally jump to avoid a leg sweep and quickly maneuver out of reach of his long arms.
Itachi, instead of simply evading and gaining distance, decided to weaponize the movements. When he jumped, he made sure to stomp down hard on his opponent's limbs on the way down, when he evaded a punch or jab he used his own evasion as a means to attack the man's guard.
This man was dangerous.
All his hits were targeted at potentially lethal areas. This fight didn't have the atmosphere of a spar at all.
Itachi's eyes narrowed, a cold expression spreading on his face.
If that was the case…
Suddenly, the ninja's leg blurred, as he kicked toward the man's waist, forcing him to block. At the last second, he redirected his movement toward the ground, using the force of his kick to push himself closer and slug him in the gut.
"Keh"
A weird sound escaped the older man as the blow registered and forced him to stumble back, breathless and sweaty. If that blow had been anywhere else…
Unwilling to let his opponent gather himself once more, Itachi decisively kept up his offense. In a fluid motion, he crouched low, whipping his leg in a circle as he balanced his body with his hands, sweeping the legs from under the tall man, causing him to topple over backward, arms instinctively spread to regain his balance.
Taking that as the invitation it was, Itachi helped the man on his way, slamming him into the ground with force.
He then kneeled down next to his opponent, one knee and hand gently pressed into his throat, enough to be perceived as a threat but not enough to actually choke the guy. He stayed ready to move, should his downed opponent be unwilling to admit his defeat.
Zed coughed and gasped for breath, the impact having robbed him of whatever air was in his lungs.
When he automatically reached for his throat to remove whatever was restricting his airflow, the pressure tightened ever so slightly, causing him to freeze and look up at the young face slightly bent over his own, comprehension and shock written all over his face.
He… had lost. Him! To a kid like this!
It hadn't even taken all that long either.
Damn, the kid was ruthless though. Knew just where and how to hit as well. He had truly found a treasure this time. Plus, since he'd now be staying at his family's Dojo, he could challenge him as much as he wanted even if he wasn't a disciple.
It was a win-win for him either way.
"Do you yield?", the emotionless voice of the teen brought him out of his growing excitement. Worthy opponents were so rare to come by nowadays after all…
"Aaaa, I yield, I yield.", he forced himself to say, sounding way less bothered than he actually was. The proclamation was immediately followed by the release of the pressure on his next and a hand appearing in his field of vision.
He took it, pulling himself up and patting the teen on the back with a grin.
"Damn, you're good, kid."
The recruiter beside the delightfully smiling Raiju was gaping openly, disbelief written all over his face at what he'd just witnessed.
Was this real? Was he dreaming? What-
Ignoring the statue beside her, Raiju went back over to her brother's side. She had been enlightened. Itachi had purposefully used the fighting style he was currently teaching her to take down his opponent, showing her the practical application of the skills she was training in.
"Are your legs made of lead?", she heard the Uchiha ask the now excitedly cackling man, unsuccessfully trying to hide the fact he was shaking down his leg. Seriously, he felt like the part he'd hit the man's legs with was going to bruise tomorrow.
"Guhahaha- Eh? Haha, close enough, kid."
He bowed down and raised the leg of his pants slightly, revealing a steel shin guard.
"That was amazing, Itachi", Raiju complimented, truly feeling that way.
"Hn"
He merely reached out to ruffle her hair, glad she'd gotten something out of the demonstration.
"Well then, kid, I better keep up my end of the deal, yea?"
Itachi merely nodded at the man, motioning him to show the way.
"Great", Raiju commented, smiling in anticipation. She was curious how a dojo here would differ from the one she had learned self-defense in.
Without further ado, they left, ignoring the other recruiters still trying to process what had happened.
"So…", he commented leadingly, after the silence stretched on for a few minutes, "I'm Eustass Zed, heir of the Hidden Sword school, 31 this year. Just call me Zed."
He looked at them curiously as he trailed off.
"I'm Uchiha Raiju, 27, I'm studying to become a doctor. You can call me Raiju. This is Uchiha Itachi, my brother. He's 16 and hasn't decided on a career yet. Just calling him Itachi is fine."
"Hooo? Siblings, huh? I half expected you to be a couple. But I can see it now."
"We have different mothers", Itachi offered.
"But still, man. You're really young, huh? I mean I could tell to a degree but… not even 18 yet", the man sounded slightly accusing at that.
"Not that I expected you to be 27 already, Miss. You don't look a day beyond 20."
"Flattery will get you everywhere, Zed.", she said with a teasing wink.
In response the man only sputtered incoherently, turning an interesting shade of pink. The reaction caused Raiju to smirk victoriously.
'Still got it', she cheered internally.
"Here we are", the man said, having calmed down during the rest of their track. He was gesturing at a large gate, which seemed to be the only entrance into an extensive compound within, "Just give me a second to clear things so nobody thinks you're a new recruit or something."
At their nods, he strode inside quickly.
Thus, the siblings were alone once more. The street around them was strangely deserted. Most likely because of the morally ambiguous reputation of the large dojo. Nobody was passing by at all.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the middle of nowhere in the South Blue, a tall, tanned and broad-shouldered older man was staring down at a report n his hands, grip unconsciously tightened, causing the papers to crease. His black hair was kept short and was starting to go grey on the sides. His black goatee coupled with thick, expressive eyebrows rounded off his otherwise square-shaped face.
A scar over his left cheekbone curved up along his eye and gave him a rough air, which, coupled with his powerful and muscled build made people unconsciously keep a distance from him.
The fact he wore a dark double-breasted suit with a white shirt and a wine-red tie gave him the appearance of a seasoned yakuza. An impression that was only heightened by the serious glint currently visible in his blue eyes as his gaze was frozen on a particular spot on the paper, unmoving.
With a deep sigh, the middle-aged man threw down the report, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and stood up from where he'd been sitting behind his desk in his office and stretched languidly, completely ruining the previous image.
'I'm sorry, old friend. It seems I have dawdled too much.', he thought sadly. But, before he could accept this outcome… he needed to make sure.
"That settles it then.", he said as he started to walk towards the single door leading out of the room, casually swiping off a white coat that had been negligently draped over another chair as he went, "Time to take a vacation."
He kicked open the door casually, still miffed that he had to use that instead of breaking the wall, but he needed Kong, that bastard, to be in an agreeable mood.
He lazily draped the coat over his shoulders, not bothering to wear the sleeves, revealing the black kanji for Justice' boldly stitched onto the back in big strokes. His shoulder pads were colored gold and blue and two stripes were visible on the epaulets. The gold cords hanging from the edge of his shoulder pads were swinging widely at the movement.
Caught in the wind stirred up by the man's spirited exit, the topmost sheet of the report was blown away, unceremoniously landing behind his desk on the ground.
It was a report about a recent order issued by Rear Admiral Daizo, more specifically the report of one Captain Zena, who had carried them out, along with an admittedly gruesome image of the evidence.