The mist hung heavy in the air, cloaking the Land of Water's dense forest in an eerie stillness. Yamamoto strode forward with his usual unshakable confidence, his sword resting lightly against his shoulder. Behind him, Akiko walked with quieter steps, her gaze darting around the shrouded surroundings.
"This mist is so thick," Akiko muttered. "How does anyone see where they're going in this place?"
"They don't," Yamamoto said, his voice calm and steady. "That's what makes it a perfect hunting ground. Keep your senses sharp."
Akiko frowned. "You know, you could throw in a motivational speech once in a while. Something like, 'You've got this, Akiko!' Or 'You're doing great!'"
Yamamoto glanced back at her, his expression unreadable. "If I said that, I'd be lying. You're not doing great—you're barely keeping up."
Akiko sighed, dragging her hand down her face. "Why do I even bother?"
The pair continued in silence until Yamamoto abruptly stopped, his hand shooting up. Akiko froze, her hand instinctively gripping the hilt of her katana.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"Movement," Yamamoto replied. His eyes scanned the mist, his sharp senses picking up on the faintest shifts in the air.
A shadow materialized from the fog, revealing a rogue ninja clad in dark, weathered armor. His face was partially obscured by a cloth mask, but his predatory grin was unmistakable.
"Yamamoto of the Hima clan," the rogue said, his voice dripping with malice. "I was wondering when I'd cross paths with you. That bounty on your head is enough to set me for life."
Yamamoto didn't flinch. His gaze was cold and calculating as he studied the man. "You bounty hunters never learn. This is the fourth time this week."
The rogue chuckled darkly. "I don't need to learn when I'm this good. But bringing a kid along? That's just insulting."
Yamamoto's lips curled into a faint smirk. "Good. Underestimating her will make this easier."
"What?" Akiko blurted, glancing at her mentor.
Yamamoto stepped back, motioning toward the rogue with his sword. "He's all yours."
"Wait, what?!" Akiko's voice rose in pitch. "You're throwing me into a fight with a trained killer?"
Yamamoto shrugged. "You said you wanted to learn. No better way than hands-on experience. Besides, you've fought worse."
The rogue burst into laughter. "Oh, this is rich. You're letting your student die to teach her a lesson? Fine by me!"
Akiko hesitated, her grip tightening on her katana. She could feel Yamamoto's piercing gaze on her back. "You've got this," he said dryly. "Or maybe you don't. We'll see."
"Sensei, your pep talks are awful," Akiko muttered before stepping forward.
The rogue ninja lunged forward, his blade slicing through the mist in a deadly arc, its edge gleaming faintly in the dim light. Akiko slid to the side, the attack grazing her by inches as her feet danced across the damp earth. Her katana flashed upward in retaliation, a precise diagonal slash aiming to disarm.
Steel clashed violently as he parried her strike, the force of his counter nearly knocking her off balance. He drove her back with a flurry of rapid slashes, his movements relentless, his strikes carving the air between them.
"Pathetic," he spat, his voice sharp with disdain. "You can't match me."
Akiko didn't answer, focusing on his movements. She tightened her grip on her sword, her breath steady despite the growing strain in her arms. He launched another powerful strike, his blade coming down in a brutal arc, but she raised hers just in time to block. Their weapons locked for a moment, sparks flying as they pushed against each other.
The rogue suddenly twisted, shifting his weight as he lashed out with a spinning kick aimed at her ribs. Akiko reacted instinctively, ducking low and sweeping her blade in a wide arc, forcing him to leap back.
He didn't let up. The rogue lunged again, closing the gap between them with explosive speed. His blade flicked toward her midsection, but Akiko stepped inside his guard at the last moment, her body rotating as she drove the hilt of her katana into his ribs.
The rogue staggered, coughing as he stumbled back, but his recovery was quick. With a snarl, he hurled a volley of kunai at her, the weapons cutting through the air in rapid succession.
Akiko's blade blurred as she deflected them, each movement precise and deliberate, the steel ringing with each impact. She spun to the side, her body twisting fluidly as she closed the distance between them. Her katana came up in a sharp upward slash, forcing him to block, but the sheer force of her strike drove him off balance.
She pressed her advantage, her movements accelerating. Their blades clashed in a rapid exchange of strikes, the sound of steel on steel reverberating through the clearing. Akiko ducked under a high slash, retaliating with a sweeping kick that caught the rogue's leg. He faltered but twisted mid-fall, slashing at her with surprising agility.
Akiko leaned back, the blade narrowly missing her face as she countered with an upward thrust. The rogue spun away, but not fast enough—her blade grazed his arm, drawing blood.
"You little—" he hissed, clutching his wound. His frustration was palpable as he launched himself at her again, his attacks wild but no less dangerous.
Akiko sidestepped his next strike, pivoting behind him as her sword flicked out in a precise arc. The rogue spun to block, their blades locking again. This time, she shifted her weight, using the momentum to twist his weapon to the side.
Before he could recover, she drove her knee into his stomach, forcing a grunt of pain from him as he doubled over. She followed up with a sharp elbow to his jaw, the impact sending him sprawling to the ground.
He scrambled to his feet, his breaths ragged and uneven. "What… what are you doing?" he growled, his voice laced with confusion and fury.
Akiko didn't answer, her dōjutsu flaring again as the world seemed to slow around her. Every twitch of his muscles, every subtle shift in his stance—it was all painfully clear.
The rogue charged once more, but this time Akiko met him head-on. Their blades collided in an explosive clash, sparks flying as their movements became a blur. Akiko weaved through his strikes, her katana a seamless extension of her body. She ducked under one swing, parried another, and stepped inside his guard with ruthless precision.
Her sword arced downward, slamming into his blade and forcing it to the ground. In the same motion, she spun, her free hand driving into his chest with enough force to knock him off his feet.
The rogue hit the ground hard, his blade skidding out of reach. Akiko didn't hesitate, pinning him down with her foot and leveling her katana at his throat.
"Yield," she said, her voice steady despite the fire in her chest.
The rogue ninja froze, his hands twitching near his belt, but he didn't dare move. Akiko held her katana steady, her grip unwavering despite the strain in her arms. She stared down at him, her heart pounding in her chest, her eyes changing back to normal.
"You… you're just a kid," the rogue hissed, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and disbelief.
Akiko tightened her jaw, her blade pressing slightly closer to his neck. "And you're just a weak pussy," she shot back. "Surrender, or I won't hesitate."
The rogue's eyes darted around, searching for a way out. But the sound of Yamamoto's slow, deliberate footsteps approaching crushed any hope he had of escaping.
"Not bad,Though we need to work on your language." Yamamoto said, his tone as dry as ever. "Still a little sloppy, though. You're lucky he's as reckless as he is."
"Sensei," Akiko said through clenched teeth, "maybe less critique while I'm holding a blade to someone's throat?"
Yamamoto smirked, crossing his arms. "Fine. Wrap it up, then. If he doesn't surrender, well…" He gestured lazily at the rogue. "You know what to do."
The rogue's face paled. He raised his hands slowly, his glare full of defiance but his voice shaky. "Alright, alright. I surrender. Just don't—"
Akiko stepped back, her blade still pointed at him. "Drop your weapons. All of them."
Grumbling, the rogue unfastened his kunai pouch and let it fall to the ground, followed by a hidden tanto from his sleeve. Akiko's sharp gaze didn't waver, even as sweat dripped down her forehead.
Yamamoto crouched next to the rogue, inspecting him with disinterest. "You're not even that skilled," he muttered, shaking his head. "I was expecting more of a challenge. But hey, you made for decent practice."
Akiko rolled her eyes. "Sensei, can you just tie him up already?"
Yamamoto chuckled, pulling a length of cord from his pack. "You did alright, Akiko. But don't let this go to your head. Next time, I won't step in if you freeze up again."
Akiko sighed, sheathing her katana. "You didn't step in this time either."
"Exactly," he said with a smirk.
As Yamamoto tied the rogue up, Akiko glanced at her hands. They were trembling slightly, not from fear but from the strange power she had just used. She didn't fully understand what had awakened in her, but one thing was certain: she had survived because of it.
And Yamamoto had noticed too, though he said nothing. As they dragged the rogue back toward the nearest city, his sharp eyes flicked toward her once more, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"You've got potential, kid," he said softly, almost to himself. "Let's see where it takes you."
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Not gonna lie, I initially planned to give Akiko minimal screen time because I thought she wouldn't be that important, but she's really grown on me. Now I'm considering giving her more chapters.