The moon shone bright, and the stars were sparse. The night wind swept by, stirring up fallen leaves, while a few hardy insects continued singing the final notes of their lives.
Ringo Ameyuri hurried through the dense forest, ignoring her injuries. To a ninja, intelligence was always more important than their own life.
A ruthless fighter of unknown identity and absurd strength had suddenly appeared in the Land of Artisans. She had to get word to the others from Kirigakure.
Otherwise, given her comrades' temperaments, if they ran into that swordsman, wouldn't they be as good as dead?
An ordinary person with injuries this severe, not to mention fragments of a short sword in their abdomen, could never move around so vigorously.
In the end, Ringo Ameyuri made it alive to a town. She staggered along, drawing the attention of passersby. But once they saw how she was dressed, they all pretended nothing had happened.
Ninjas killed the moment they lost their temper.
Officially, the people from Kirigakure were there to place orders for ninja tools, so they couldn't stand out too much. They had rented out an inn and were staying in town.
It also made it easier to watch for any big fish. That was how Baki and the others had been spotted.
The lights were still on when the wounded Ringo Ameyuri burst into the inn. Then, at last, the strength holding her upright gave out. Her vision went black, and she collapsed.
The girl at the front desk had already been replaced by someone from Kirigakure. She grabbed a kunai and rushed out to check what was going on.
When she saw that the person lying on the floor was Ringo Ameyuri, she checked her identity, then carried her into a room at the back of the inn.
It was over an hour later when Ringo Ameyuri finally stirred awake. She felt her abdomen and realized the bleeding had been stopped, but the fragments of the short sword hadn't been removed.
There wasn't anyone on the team particularly skilled in Medical Ninjutsu. Getting even a basic healing technique was already top-tier treatment.
A dozen or so ninjas sat around the room. Two of them, seated in the middle, drew the most attention.
One was Biwa Juzo, carrying Kubikiribōchō over his shoulder. His style was much like Demon Zabuza's and wasn't especially distinctive; the huge sword was what caught the eye.
The other was Suikazan Fuguki, a towering man with orange hair and teeth as sharp as a piranha's. He was just as striking as Samehada, the great sword wrapped in bandages on his back.
Strictly speaking, there was one other person who stood out. A young Kisame Hoshigaki stood silently in the corner of the room, his face like a shark's.
He was eighteen that year, standing in the meeting room like a nobody.
When she saw two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Ringo Ameyuri scrambled up and dropped to one knee before them, saying respectfully, "Chunin Ringo Ameyuri pays her respects to the two captains."
Her wound was jolted again, and sweat poured down her face.
"Mm." Biwa Juzo nodded.
Suikazan Fuguki's expression was grim. He gripped Samehada's hilt with one hand and asked, "Go on. Why are you the only one who came back?
"What about Kaguya Taiga and the rest of your squad?"
Samehada twitched, eager to get moving. Its oppressive presence put Ringo Ameyuri's nerves on edge. If she couldn't give Suikazan Fuguki a satisfactory explanation, he would surely bring the sword down on her.
"Captain Kaguya and the others have been killed. I'm the only survivor." Ringo Ameyuri didn't dare waste time. She blurted out the most important information in one breath.
The news set off a storm. Everyone in the room was stunned, and the place erupted into loud discussion.
Who was Kaguya Taiga?
An elite jonin with Shikotsumyaku, whose strength was no less than that of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He'd also taken ten Chunin with him to finish mopping up. How could he have disappeared without a trace?
It made no sense.
Suikazan Fuguki was the most suspicious of them all. He drew Samehada and held it over Ringo Ameyuri's head, shouting, "Liar!
"An elite jonin and ten Chunin—did they run into a large force from one of the other four great ninja villages? Or did they run into a Kage?
"There's no one that powerful in the Land of Artisans. And even if there were, why were you the one who survived instead of the strongest among you, Kaguya Taiga?
"Even a lie has to make sense!"
Ringo Ameyuri was at a loss for words. She had no idea what expression to make. I know a story has to make sense, too.
But reality really is this absurd. What can I do about it? I'm helpless here!
The ninjas in the room all looked at Ringo Ameyuri with suspicion. To be fair, her story really didn't make much sense.
Then a thought struck them all. Had Ringo Ameyuri turned against them and defected?
Killing intent filled the room. Samehada seemed ready to burst free of its wrappings and smash Ringo Ameyuri to death on the spot.
Just as Ringo Ameyuri thought she was done for, Biwa Juzo, the other man in charge, waved a hand to stop Suikazan Fuguki.
He said coldly, "Tell us everything you experienced, from beginning to end. Don't leave anything out."
Whew. I'm still alive. Our own people are more dangerous than the enemy.
Ringo Ameyuri had escaped death for the moment, but she knew that if anything she said or did next seemed suspicious, she'd still be killed.
Her mind raced as she recalled what had happened, afraid she might miss something. She spoke carefully. "It was around dusk. I followed Captain Kaguya and the others to hunt down the stragglers.
"We did find one. Just as we were about to catch and kill him, someone suddenly appeared and stood in our way..."
"Wait!"
Suikazan Fuguki interrupted her with a shout and asked, "Just one person?"
"Yes, just one."
Ringo Ameyuri nodded and gave a bitter smile. "He was a red-haired young man with a long sword at his waist, a cross-shaped scar on his face, and a kimono.
"He introduced himself as Luo... Luo... Himura Kenshin. He said he couldn't stand seeing anyone violate the spirit of the samurai by ganging up on the weak. Then he attacked us..."
Everyone made their own assessment. Ninjas were more accustomed to using short blades. This Himura Kenshin was probably a samurai from the Land of Iron. Only they wore kimono and carried long swords; they were a group left behind by the times.
Using the spirit of the samurai as an excuse to interfere in ninja affairs was going a bit too far.
He's wielding the last dynasty's sword to execute the current dynasty's officials. What an imposing show of authority.
"At first, we thought he was a fool, someone who didn't know what he was up against and liked sticking his nose into other people's business. So we attacked him."
Ringo Ameyuri lifted her head. A trace of fervor and admiration shone in her eyes as she said, full of awe, "Then he proved with his strength that he really did have the right to interfere.
"Ten Chunin used Water Release Ninjutsu and threw shuriken and kunai, forming a net that covered every escape route. But with exquisite swordsmanship, he tore it all apart in two seconds.
"We didn't sense even the slightest trace of chakra. I swear on my life—it was pure swordsmanship!"
At last, I got a private message about a contract. I never thought I'd actually get one~
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