(a kid is climbing on a loose branch)
Keiaru keeps her father from fighting as she tries to show how capable she is Fujima is forced to keep her safe? he catches her showboating to get her back on track
As the smoke from the explosion settles Renzo is seen standing in front of Fujima and Keiaru He orders them to get back clearing the left over flames before preparing to take down Genseki. Before he could charge down the bandit Keiaru grabs his shoulder wordlessly asking that she and Fujima are given a chance to prove themselves "Fine if you can beat him I will go home but if I see that you aren't able to protect yourself well enough I will go on this journey with you". Keiaru smiles she nods toward Fujima but suddenly Renzo tosses Fujima his spare sword so he can fight better "Do not let me down" rolling his eyes Fujima charges alongside Keiaru. before Genseki could be sliced by Keiaru's flashy attack he vaults over her and tries to land an aerial attack on Fujima who dodges it with surprising ease as Fujima slashes at the weird man he ducks under it.
Taking advantage of Fujima's inexperience with a sword he steals his knife and in that same moment slices at him but Keiaru pulls him back so the cut is shallow but the pause gave Genseki a chance to retreat to his emptied pot and release the metal pole attached to it for a weapon as Keiaru and Fujima charge in Genseki flips the cart of gunpowder barrels but Fujima catches one in his net swinging it at the Genseki but when he dodges it Keiaru attacks him with another fancy attack while Fujima swings the barrel back around slamming it before the bandit creating a smoke screen of gunpowder surrounded by the black dust Genseki knows he cant risk setting off a spark he starts dodging Keiaru's attacks, who is spinning around and dashing everywhere throughout the smoke and when her attacks stop Genseki tries to leave the dust then another barrel flies through the smoke which he dodges but suddenly the same barrel crashes down continuing the dust screen and on the outside of the dust Fujima is tossing barrels through the dust as Keiaru tosses them back. When ever there was a sign that the dust was settling they would slam a barrel in front of him but in almost no time Genseki got used to their pattern but this is what Fujima and Keiaru were waiting for and as Fujima tosses the rest of the barrels at once Genseki calls him out saying "No matter how many barrels you can toss she can only return them one at a time"
And as he dodges another barrel rebounded by Keiaru she charges in to attack him but Fujima tosses the net in, not to catch Genseki but to catch Keiaru and as he pulls her out the scattered gunpowder is exploded by Genseki who leaped up expecting an all out attack and sent sparks down using his flint. "I could've escaped before the flame burned me!" Keiaru shouts but a bit more serious than usual he points out that she is covered in gunpowder but suddenly Keiaru dashes back in growling.
Fujima wasn't the only person to notice the gunpowder dusted all over Keiaru's clothes because the moment Genseki dodges Keiaru tries to slice at him but Fujima pulls her back and shields her from the sparks. Pushing him out of the way she thrusts her blade at Genseki before shouting "Why are you getting in the way those are just sparks!" using his net as some sort of stress ball Fujima shouts "What Are YOU doing! you keep charging in even though there is gunpowder on you!". Before he could continue berating Keiaru The net resonated with him and without a thought he tosses his arm back and his hand meets Genseki's staff.
a *crack* was heard by everyone nearby.
he was about to faint from the pain but, he clenches his broken hand tightly to Genseki's staff and snatches it from him before declaring to Keiaru using a some of his accent, "You're goin' to owe me lots of money" as soon as the net unravels from Fujima's hand his arm slumps and he passes out and falls but Renzo catches him and protects him for the next round to come.
"W-what was that? whatever it was it just saved my life" Keiaru gasps at the thought that "I... was just saved I'm supposed to prove my competency" getting up she clenches her sword and shouts "No more flashiness!" and she dashes towards Genseki unleashing three deadly thrusts which Genseki dodges with difficulty "She got serious now... I gotta get my staff back if she is fighting without those spins" but as if his mind were read Renzo breaks the staff
"damn how can I even-" before he could finish his thoughts three slashes graze by him and Keiaru stares at him coldly and she is so focused she could even see his flinches and the moment he shifts forward another thrust of her sword flies at him before dashing at him with a precise flurry of slices and stabs some of which get through Genseki's scarce defense and in a moment of desperation he pulls out a gunpowder pouch and lights it but even when his hand was cut off during the mad dash he didn't stop but before he could get close enough he was punted into a tree by Renzo and thus Genseki burned.
Renzo walks over to Keiaru to tell her if she proved that she is competent enough until the fire took a weird shape as if something were shaping it "can you see it" "The fire?" letting out a chuckle he gives his verdict "You are far from ready" he then tosses a metal ingot with cleanse inscribed on it into the fire, dispersing it "lets go to the next village to rest up" confused Keiaru shakes him for clarification "You failed the test".
"Oh..." knowing he wouldn't accept no anymore she just picks up Fujima and they walk to the next village.