When she managed to reach the highest of the peaks she saw the green and brownish figure in the road, it looked like a bush, she stopped and the person looked up.
"Are you a shinobi?" She asked.
"Yes"
"That's boring! Why didn't you try to assassinate me?"
The man laughed "If I did that, you'd be dead already"
Baiken sighed "But I wanted to see your skill, your ninjitsu"
"You are, do you think I'm really standing here?"
Baiken squinted "I can see you, yes"
"Correction" He suddenly said behind her making her swing around, he was in fact there, and in the path, at the same time!
"Facinating!"
"You do not seem to fear me"
"I don't" She took her katana out "Honor me with a fight"
"You have a katana?"
"What? You also going to say that's taboo?"
"No, I like this, your a rebel, I shall fight you, if you win, you pass unharmed, if you lose, I want something in return, offer me what you have?"
"My body is all I can offer, I don't want to part with his katana just yet"
"Good then, I accept" He widened his stance, drew a short katana looking blade and charged. Baiken executed a draw slash but it went right through him, she knew it! This was the illusion, so she turned and slashed backwards, her katana clashed with the real blade.
"Woman! You amase me! I might even consider marrying you!"
He twisted and slashed, but she blocked with her blade, the two parted momentarily.
"I hope your dick isn't as small as your blade, I wont marry you then"
The man bursted out with laughter "I assure you the sex wont be a problem, the question is, what are you running from? Did you steal that katana? It doesn't belong to you, I wonder how will this effect me in the future?"
"I didn't steal it, it was a gift from my mother"
"Aaah, now it makes sense, so you're Kazuma-sama's daughter?"
"How would you possibly know him?"
"He was a legend" The shinobi seethed his blade "And I fought alongside him"
Baiken eased up her stance "You fought with him?"
"Yes, follow me Kazuna-san, you are welcome here"
Baiken replaced her blade.
"Please, tell me more about my father... Uh? What do I call you?" She asked behind him.
"My name is Tachibana Hyabusa, and your father came along this path many years ago, just as you did. Back then I was a boy, young with fire in my heart, I just finished my ninjitsu training, and I felt nothing could stop me... But Kazuna sama was a force to be reconed with, when I saw him walk down that trail, I was going to assassinate him, but he stopped as he was about to pass me and called out.
'Do not cower in the leaves, I know you're there shinobi'
"His words sparked hate in me, so much so that I forgot that regardless of anything I should remain hidden, so I called out back to him"
"I'm not cowering!"
Kazuma looked up at him "Yes, a skilled shinoby would have remained quiet, now I know you're inexperienced" He said and kept walking "Wait for your next victim assassin, you will surely die by my blade"
Tachibana smiled at Baiken "Boy was I angry"
"I also would have been" She said laughing.
"I lept and landed behind him, he didn't stop walking, so I drew my blade and stormed him, he swiftly turned, half drew that very sword you're carrying, and blocked my blade"
"You wish to die early boy?"
"Go to hell samurai!"
"I twisted and slashed, he only evaded, never drawing his sword out completely. Blow after blow he blocked and evaded, until I was properly fatigued, only then did he draw and slash, but the blade stopped inches from my neck... The first time I nearly died in my life..."
He looked down at the sword hilt sticking out from it's scubbard "I never knew I'd ever see that katana again"
"People are calling me a demon, a bad omen"
"Fuck them, it's good they fear you. Benkei was a tyrant, he started the Yakuza"
"What is the Yakuza?"
"A gang of thieves, organised crime, and offers protection to those who can afford them"
"Organised crime? And thieves?"
"I will say they deteriated a little since Benkei died, back then they were his personal army, he trained them to be samurai, and rebel against the emperor"
"Why?"
"The emperor was corrupt, he rose taxes and forced poverty, he didn't use the tax money to boost the economy" Tachibana said and stopped on a certain peak, he looked down into the valley, Baiken saw it was the direction she came from and from that peak she could almost see where her house should be.
"This entire island is under the emperor's control, and that's why time seems to be standing still here. If you cross the mountains and seas to the north you'll eventually make it to Tokyo Japan, then you will realise just how far back in time this place is" Tachibana said and turned to her.
"We shinobi don't mug people here on this part of the mountain because we need money and hate people, we do it as a way to pass time, for fun. In the beginning we were always here to kill and rob people, but after Benkei came and wanted to change things, we opted to help instead, so we practically spied on travelers, sending messenger pigeons to him if ever a threat headed his way"
"What was my father's goal? Im starting to get a better picture of him but up till now meeting people who knew him only spelled bad luck for me" Baiken said looking at the katana "I even considered selling this at some point, too many people know this sword"
Tachibana placed his had on it slowly "No, do not get rid of this, it's his final legacy"
"What legacy!?"
"He will still succeed in overthrowing the emperor, even after his death"
Baiken drew the sword away from him "I'm not interested in following my fathers legacy, I have my own goals"