I clenched my fists so hard each knuckle popped in sequence as I stared at Obito, my eyes tracking him off to my right side and my face blank. The obvious answer to his thrown gauntlet was to refuse. I owed this man no favors to sate his curiosity and I had no desire to show off my meager abilities. I could simply leave, citing sudden illness, but it would no doubt sour any potential further invitations to the Uzumaki clan compound. Not that I wanted them, but Yakumo's words about Naruko's near-pariah status were still heavy in my mind.
"I wouldn't mind a chance to have a proper match with sensei." Satsuki replied, her eyes never leaving me, a tiny smirk on her lips.
...and, now I kind of wanted to wipe that smirk off the little shit's face.
As Naruko turned to her mother with a pleading expression, grabbing one of the woman's sleeves in her hand to speak lowly and urgently. As she did that, I slipped more food in my mouth to avoid answering, taking my sweet time chewing as I considered the further ramifications of refusing the challenge. One of which was the deeply foreboding feeling I had when I looked at the young Kurama girl. It was an unnerving sensation that pushed at me to do something to help her, even if I couldn't remember anything specific from my prior life.
Besides my concern, though, I generally liked helping people... or, at least, setting things to rights. Order from chaos, one might say, and the impulse to do so was hard to fight sometimes especially considering I'd nurtured it in several of my professions over the years. Even now, taking rough cuts of ore and turning them into beautiful works of art fed the urge. Tenten, Satsuki... they were raw and unworked in the same way.
Winning an 'exhibition match' against Satsuki would earn me a chance at helping to mold another diamond in the rough.
That wouldn't be why I would concede to this irritating little stunt, though. No, the real issue was that Uchiha Obito had seized upon a chance series of happenstances to corner me for whatever reason he felt was justifiable enough to do so. Be it simple curiosity or a more professional desire to ferret out my secrets, he'd demonstrated not only the ability to do so, but a willingness as well. This became a problem when one understood that refusing to disclose information to a person seldom made them inclined to walk away and let sleeping dogs lie. If I declined here and now, Obito would likely keep pestering me, escalating either social or legal consequences to compel me to show him something.
This situation was... not optimal, not at all, but I had no doubt he could probably achieve worse if he really put his mind to it.
Even if the Kurama clan was an unknown quantity to me at the moment, anyone who was willing to associate with the Uzumaki and Kushina in particular weren't likely to sell me out to Danzo knowingly or willingly, if the crippled old bastard even cared about a crippled young bastard no matter how skilled. While I wouldn't put it past anyone in this group to argue for 'mutually beneficial' favors in the future to whatever extent I could perform them, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing to have patrons who might notice if I suddenly disappeared. Sadly, my impulse to help Tenten combined with Satsuki's discovery of the tutoring and subsequent demand for lessons of her own meant that I could no longer rely on my fracturing anonymity.
I swallowed and took a drink of the slightly-fermented fruit juice that had been on offer for the youth before nodding as I looked to Obito. "I suppose I can be convinced, but I hope you're ready to offer some type of payment, Uchiha-san. Since you seem so eager to see what I can do."
If I was going to be forced to dance like a monkey, I'd at least want to be paid more than peanuts.
Obito twitched, laughing awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, hey-hey, it's not like that, I just-"
"I agree." Kushina interrupted her husband's former student with a sharp look as she brushed off Naruko's hand and began rolling herself back from the table. "It's the least you can do for putting the poor boy out like this on short notice, Obito. Why don't you think of something while you go get a set of bokken."
Obito winced more fully as Mikoto hid a smile behind her hand and the Kurama parents looked on in amusement. The jounin stood with a clatter of his chair and stalked off with a click of his tongue to retrieve the practice weapons.
I sighed and nodded to Satsuki as I began planning out the way the matches would go...
"Are you going to be okay?" Yakumo asked, reaching over and tapping me on the hand with a concerned frown.
"I'm going to try not to humiliate Satsuki too badly." I stated with a sigh, leaning back in my chair and noting from the corner of my eye the way the Uchiha girl's face twitched at the comment I'd made in the wrong tone of voice to be properly quiet and private. Still, without looking directly at her...
Yakumo frowned more deeply and shook her head. "I've seen Naruko and Satsuki spar before, it won't be easy to beat her."
I breathed out through my nose, not quite a snort, but... "She's talented, but she lacks perspective because of that," I spoke in a true undertone this time. "A warrior goes to fight and then wins, a soldier wins and then goes to fight."
"I don't understand." The eleven-year-old stated after a moment's contemplation.
"That's fine, you will." I nodded, then turned my attention to the matron of the house as she approached. "Lady Uzumaki."
She rolled her eyes. "Kushina, Kota. Call me Kushina." She smiled tiredly. "You know you don't have to do this if you don't want to, right? Obito's like a son to me, but sometimes... that boy just doesn't know when to quit and leave well enough alone, ya know."
I shrugged. "I've piqued his curiosity for some reason and, if I don't give him something, he's likely to pull another stunt like this again, isn't he?"
Kushina sighed and combed a hand through her hair. "I hate to say it, but you're probably right." She snorted. "Smart kid." I frowned at her as she reached up and ruffled my hair. "Alright then, you need anything?"
One side of my lips rose up devilishly and my voice changed tone again, something that Satsuki could hear if she was listening. Because she was listening, really. "Bet hard on me, take him for all he's worth, and give me half."
Kushina's mouth dropped open before mirth filled her eyes as she barked out a loud laugh. "Oooh! You think you're hot shit, don't you?! Alright, let's see you back it up!"
As Kushina rolled herself away, I watched the irritation and frustration build on Satsuki's face as she stewed in the off-hand insults I'd let her hear. In the meantime, I picked out dessert and exchanged further pleasantries with Yakumo as if nothing were wrong with the situation. I liked to think that Musashi would be proud of my performance.
…
"Fifty-thousand ryo on Kota." Kushina spoke as Obito sat down next to them. The younger man jerked a bit, turning to the woman who'd become something of a surrogate mother in the last decade after the fox's attack and stared at her in surprise.
"That's a lot of money." He noted, looking between the two combatants and wondering if she knew something he didn't.
"No confidence in your cousin?" Kushina prodded, raising a red eyebrow. "Or did you blow all your money on some new get-rich-quick scheme again?"
Obito felt himself being baited and didn't know what he could do to stop it. "It would have worked if they hadn't skimped on the building and had it burn down. With all the stock in it. The Shinobi-Slicer was going to be in every kitchen in Konoha!"
Kushina sighed, shaking her head in fond exasperation as the two combatants limbered up... or, well, Satsuki did. Kota had taken his plate full of food and utensils onto the spot they'd cleared for the match and was still eating even as her goddaughter glared at the boy while he finished off a piece of cake. If Satsuki were a genin already, she might not fall for something as simple as the trick Kota was employing, but she hadn't yet gotten experience under a jounin, which-
"Okay, I'm in. Fifty-thousand." Obito finally grumbled. "Gotta have some clan pride, right?"
"Good." Kushina nodded, then looked to Kurama Murakumo with a nod.
The Kurama clan head nodded in reply, clearing his throat as he stepped up to the long stretch of stone-supported wooden walkway that was serving as their impromptu sparring ground. Kota sighed, setting his plate aside and yawning wide and long as he walked up to the opposite side of Satsuki, wooden sword in hand, swinging it a few times seemingly to get a feel for it.
"We will have a best of three matches between Uchiha Satsuki and the civilian blacksmith apprentice Kotaro." Murakumo announced. "A winner will be declared either at my discretion, an obvious incapacitation, or when one opponent should yield. Further attempts to continue a match after I call halt will result in disqualification. Do both parties understand these rules?"
Nods from both children.
"The winner will receive..." Murakumo paused and looked over to Kushina and Obito. "What was the prize decided on?"
Obito jerked and snapped his fingers. "I'll teach the winner a jutsu of their choice!"
Satsuki's eyes lit up, but Kota's expression soured. "I'd prefer money."
"Aw, c'mon! What kid doesn't want to learn a shiny new technique?" Obito whined, Kushina refraining from palming her face in exasperation, wondering if Minato would laugh or cry if he could see Obito now. Ah, if only Rin weren't on extended medical duty out of the village. Obito always got worse when she was gone for long periods...
Kota rolled his eyes, looking skyward for a moment in thought before frowning and sighing. "Fine, yeah, I guess there's a technique I wouldn't mind knowing."
At her side, Obito exhaled in relief, painfully glad he wouldn't have to fork over more money.
"Very well, make the seal of confrontation." Murakumo instructed. "Then take five steps back."
Hands met, Kota gave Satsuki one last smirk and she heard Mikoto sigh nearby as her daughter's hackles rose from the gesture. Reaching over, Kushina grabbed Mikoto's hand and gave it a squeeze as she looked back and smiled thankfully. Both of them knew this probably wasn't going to end well for Satsuki even if she did manage to scrape out a victory.
Kota took up a somewhat lazy, weak stance with two hands loosely gripping the hilt of his blade while Satsuki crouched slightly, a tight grip on her own. Murakumo had stepped back several paces himself, clearing the area between the two combatants.
"Begin!"
It was over in a flash.
Satsuki moved forward in a burst of chakra at a speed that was frankly jaw-dropping for someone not out of academy yet, hurling herself forward three paces before leaping into the air and, her body twisting in a spiral, calling out, "Ryutsuisen!"
Kushina's eyes widened as she realized that the leap had been carefully calculated in a way that used the body itself like a whip in order to reverse upward momentum and redirect it downward instead of simply relying on the energy of the fall. No, in fact, if she could see it again, she'd be sure of it, but it seemed to treat the body and the sword as one, placing the axis you spun on in such an extreme place that it had to be intentional-
"Ah!" Satsuki gasped, halting in the air above her opponent, her eyes bulging wide as her jaw opened in shock and pain and Kushina blinked, cocking her head as she realized that Kota's hands weren't gripping his sword, but Satsuki's, having clapped together at the exact time to catch the wooden sword one-third up from the grip, but then...
"No fucking way." Obito muttered, cocking his head. As Kushina followed suit from curiosity alone, she saw that, mostly hidden by their bodies, Kota's sword was now stuck on the tip of his shoe, jutting upwards on the lifted foot to catch Satsuki precisely in the breastbone.
As they watched, Satsuki dropped breathlessly to the ground, catching herself on her knees and gasping for air.
"W-Winner Kotaro!" Murakumo stuttered out in surprise.
"He dropped his sword and used his foot to catch the butt of the grip so that he could strike her using her own falling energy." Kushina realized in surprise, her eyes widening. "...and he supported her weight through the grip on her sword so that the blow didn't do serious damage!"
"Alright! Go Kota!" Naruko cheered happily, raising her hands above her head energetically.
"That's not fair! He cheated!" Enkai cried, pointed out over the dining table, and Kushina had to snort at the accusation, opening her mouth to-
"Fighting 'fair' is an insult to a proper ninja." Kota replied in that blankly-serious tone she'd seen on some shinobi who were especially good at controlling their tells. "It means you aren't taking them seriously enough to cheat; letting them win when they haven't earned it." His lips twitched as he looked down at the gasping Uchiha girl on the ground. "Or do you disagree, Satsuki?"
Taking another heaving breath, Kushina could tell that the expression on the Uchiha girl's face was a mix of terrible delight and vicious anger.
Mikoto giggled to her side, Kushina seeing her old friend bite her lower lip. "Oh dear."
Kushina sighed, giving in to the urge to palm her face this time. "My daughter's going to try as well, I just know it, if only because yours is hanging around him."
Mikoto smirked at her friend's observation and nodded. "I'll have to take steps so Fugaku doesn't find out. He's always so stoic about these things."
They exchanged a few more pleasantries as Satsuki recovered, while Kota took up a resting position next to the swords he'd picked up. Once Satsuki had gotten her breath back, the girl took her position back on the opposite side of the broad walkway and centered herself with a calming inhalation as she righted her sword and grip. Kota, on the other hand, took up an even lazier stance, sword held in one hand dipped to almost touch the ground as he stood with his right shoulder facing his opponent, coolly staring her down with none of the mockery he had earlier.
"Match two, begin!"
Satsuki still rushed forward, but instead of the wild move from earlier it was a calculated series of quick steps that held an almost dance-like pattern of evasion and aggression to Kushina's eyes. It was definitely part of the same style she'd been taught by the mysterious boy, a series of fast feints that would open up imaginary opponents to lethal attacks and counter attacks while Kota slowly pivoted his sword and tracked her with his eyes, keeping to his low-guard. Finally, Satsuki closed the distance and raised her sword-
Then had to duck out of the way as Kota's wrist snapped up and his sword spun into the air, forcing Satsuki to move her own arm wide lest the blade make contact. It was a fraction of a second's worth of opening that Kota exploited ruthlessly as he stepped in unarmed, reaching up with his thrusting left hand to catch Satsuki's face and slam her back into the ground in a single fluid movement even while the girl had been following the upward arc of the sword...
...which now descended, slapping into Kota's raised right palm to be brought down on Satsuki's throat while his left moved to catch Satsuki's own hand trying to bring her blade to bear even from her prone position on the ground.
"Winner Kotaro!" Murakumo called, to the delight of Kushina's daughter and the irritation of her son.
Obito groaned and placed his head in his hands as Kushina shook her own in vague disbelief while Kota lingered a second too long on top of the Uchiha girl, her lips moving even if distance and low volume didn't allow the words to be heard. Kota's lack of reaction didn't lend any clues either, to Mikoto's obvious irritation. Honestly, Kushina wondered if the boy didn't have some Uchiha ancestry somewhere a few generations back to maintain that lack of expression. Though as they stood, the fact that Satsuki deigned to accept a hand up from two otherwise humiliating defeats was plenty telling in and of itself.
"I want the third match." The Uchiha girl declared as Kota began to walk away.
The boy's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly and his head tilted back as if he were looking to the heavens for salvation. Kushina wished him luck, she'd seen how tenacious an Uchiha girl could be when they set their mind to it.
"Fine." Kota agreed with a barely-there sigh, moving back to his place. "Tell me what you did wrong in the first two matches."
Satsuki grimaced, her eyes crossing the crowd watching them. "The first match I... I let you get to me. You said things you wouldn't normally say to provoke me into being angry."
Kota nodded. "Correct. Ego has no place on the battlefield, even in a spar. Next?"
"Your sword. I watched it when you threw it. I should have used the time to hit you instead." She stated, confident in her tone.
The boy nodded again. "Your opponent's sword is not your opponent. You should be aware of where it is, in case they can call it back to themselves, but you shouldn't disregard an opening they give you to pay attention to an abandoned weapon." He gave another sigh, then took up his stance again. "Very well, if you have no objections Lord Kurama?"
The man shook his head and stepped back to his place. "Very well, third match. Begin!"
Unlike the past two matches, this time it was Kota who leapt forward, throwing himself at Satsuki in a motion so fast that he became a whirl of images. His entire body twisted, spinning on the long axis as he went nearly parallel to the ground, Satsuki shifting to match the blade coming at her midsection in a way that would put her in the optimal position to counterattack when-
"Ryukansen!"
-crack-snap!
The sound of wood hitting wood was sharp and unexpected for all that this was the third match of the exhibition, but the sound of shattering wood was even more surprising. Even as Kota's blade swept through Satsuki's, Kushina scowled. She would have to check the inventory in the dojo, because that shouldn't have happened unless someone had intentionally-
Ah.
That cheeky little fuck.
The redhead smiled as Kota smoothly reversed his grip and stepped forward to press his blade against a shocked Satsuki's neck once again. "Never trust a weapon that has been in an enemy's hands without verifying it has not been tampered with."
"Winner, Kotaro!"
Kushina chuckled softly under her breath even as Obito hung his head further in dismay. This kid was a riot! She'd have to have him over again to embarrass some more clan kids! She grinned as she turned to Obito. "I think I can at least see why you're obsessed with this kid. Kakashi basically taught himself swordsmanship too, didn't he?"
Obito grimaced and looked away, as good as confirming Kushina's suspicions.
Good, let the brat think twice before he's that rude to my guests again.
