Kuri

"NO! Absolutely not!"

"But Kiyomi!"

"No! You're definitely not going to kuri with a man you met half an hour ago! How many times did I tell you not to follow any strangers!?" As Kiyomi kept scolding him, Yasu who was on his knees, with every word he heard only sank more and more into the ground.

He could just leave without telling her, but that just would be an insult to her, she cared for him for seven years, they were not blood related, but blood doesn't matter, and if they went down that route then he also knew that the man who raised him for twelve years also wasn't blood related to him, so what?.

To him, blood doesn't not matter when it comes to family.

And that's why he was being scolded right now for making a probably less than ideal decision.

"And why in the hell would you accept a stranger's request to go to kuri!!"

"Because I want to travel the world! I want to see all the islands you told me in those stories! and for that I need to become stronger!" Yasu responds with absolute in his eyes.

Looking at the eyes of Yasu, Kiyomi saw the same light he had in his eyes when he was just five and asked her to teach him play the Shamisen, she knew that when he had his eyes on something he was the most stubborn person in all wano and he wouldn't stop, she knew it very well, she experienced it first hand when she first met Yasu.

sigh "Since I met you I'm sighing all the time, get up" Kiyomi says facepalming knowing this argument won't go anywhere.

With Yasu now standing, she gets closer to him and hugs him tightly, although he was taller than a normal twelve year old, his head still landed on her chest covered by the kimono.

"Just promise me you will be careful and if there's any danger you'll get out of there"

"Hmm" Yasu agrees but because of her chest only a muffled sound comes out.

"And that you'll visit at least once a month"

"Hmm Hmm"

"And that you'll take the Shamisen with you and won't stop practising"

"Hmm Hmm Hmm"

Letting him go of the hug, she smiles at him.

"You can go, but please be careful, okay?"

"Yes!" Yasu replies with his own smile.

"Then go, don't make the man wait"

"Thanks!" Yasu starts running excitedly to the exit of the building they're in while thanking Kiyomi.

sigh

Looking at Yasu getting out of the room, she can't help but let out another sigh.

'I really can't stop sighing since I met him, huh?'

'Okay! One down, only one more to go!' Yasu starts making his way down the streets towards his house with only his father's approval left to be able to go.

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"So, let me get this straight, you met a complete stranger and followed him?"

"Yes"

"And he beat you?"

"Well, yes"

"And then he told you to go to kuri with him?"

"Uhhhh"

"And you accepted?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"You can go"

"Wait! think tha- wait what?"

"Yes, you can go"

"Thanks?" Yasu was at a total loss of words, wasn't he supposed to put a little of resistance?.

"Look, I trust you, I know you can handle yourself and you're not stupid, you know when something is dangerous or not without me having to tell you, so, you can go"

Yasu was speechless after what his father told him, after some seconds of not saying nothing, Yasu stands up.

"Thanks!" Yasu says while bowing to his father before turning around and getting out of the room.

Looking at his son leaving, Shimazu shows a little smile on his face before getting up and getting out of the room.

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Running through the streets of the capital, with a rectangular case wrapped hanging from his back, Yasu sees at the gates of the city, a figure of great stature waiting.

"I'm ready!" Yasu states while approaching the figure.

"Then let's go" The man towering over him says displaying his by now iconic smile, he starts making his way towards a nearby horse.

"It shouldn't take too long to get there" Getting on the horse, the man extends his hand to Yasu to help him get on, which he takes.

"Hey kid, you never told me your name" The man shakes the reins causing the horse to start galloping.

"Isn't it polite to introduce yourself first when asking for someone's name?"

"Ha! My name's Kozuki Oden, kid"

"And my name's not kid, it's Yasu Mochizuki" The horse continues to gallop leaving the city behind in the horizon.

"That's it?" Oden asks genuinely confused.

With a vein popping on his forehead, Yasu responds annoyed "What do you mean that's it?, what were you expecting!?"

"Uhaha! no! with how things turn up last I thought you would at least recognize my name!" amusement is clear in his voice while saying this.

"Why should I recognize your name?"

"Usually when you dance naked in the middle of the streets people tend to recognize you!"

As if he just remembered something, Yasu hits his palm with his fist.

"Ohhhhhhh, so that was you, yeah, I heard some gossip about a naked man dancing"

"And don't you want to turn back knowing this?"

"Why would I?"

"Obviously, dancing naked doesn't give you the best of reputations" he answers as if it was something pretty obvious.

Yasu confused tilts his head to the side as if not understanding what he is saying "How could I judge you if I didn't meet you until today?"

"Uhahahahahahahahahahaha!" Oden starts laughing like he heard a really funny thing.

"Aghhh! stop it!" Because of his improved hearing, the laugh of Oden really annoys him, but he doesn't stop.

Oden kept laughing and Yasu doesn't stop screaming at him, as if it was contagious, Yasu also displays a smile before he too starts laughing.

"Yahahahahahaha"

"Uhahahahahahahaha"

For anyone else, it seemed like to completely insane people laughing at something evil, and they were running away laughing.

But for them, they just couldn't stop, as if they just heard the best jokes in their lives.

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Ok this was just a transition chapter to show some relationships, I know that some may not like almost everything dialogue but the next should be longer.