Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Two long, slim, and straight, double-edged blades brushed over Utakata's hair as he ducked under them. The blades also have an upward-curved bladed prong near the tip of one side of the blade and another one near the base of the blade's other side, made for such a satiation that the wielder of the blades can stab someone from above.

Before the pronged blades pierced his shoulders, Utakata caught both of them and pushed them upwards. With chakra enchanting his strength, he had no trouble overpowering Ringo. But it shouldn't be so easy. As petite as Ringo was, she had quite a bit of explosive strength. Enough strength to fight against Utakata.

Sadly, Utakata didn't have time to think about the past when he sparred with her, as lightning started to go through the blades. Letting the blades go, Utakata kicked Ringo away from himself. She flipped in the air and landed sturdy on her feet. Like a spring, she bent her knees, and Utakata knew that as soon as she would shoot up at him, a wound would be unavoidable.

With his foot, Utakata picked up a chair he had been sitting in and kicked it at Ringo the moment she jumped from her position. The chair exploded into pieces as soon as it touched the Kiba blades. It gave enough distraction for Utakata to slide under Ringo and as he did so, he caught two somehow intact wooden pieces of the chair and threw them at the back of Ringo.

She was fast enough to deflect the first piece of wood, but to Utakata's surprise, the second hit her, knocking her back. Now, Utakata could tell that something was wrong with Ringo. She wasn't as strong or as fast as Utakata remembered her to be. Did she neglect her training? Or was she wounded? Either way, it was time to stop playing.

As she sprung at Utakata once again, her swords extended forward. Utakata didn't dodge or even try to avoid the blades. Instead, he extended his hands forward and stepped closer to her before catching her frail wrists, stopping her from moving. Before she tried to kick Utakata, he headbutted into her nose, knocking her head back.

Not letting her regain posture, Utakata flipped her over his shoulder and smashed her back on the floor. Holding her down, Utakata waited until she stopped baring her teeth at him and let her blades go, as even now, she had a tight grip on them. Utakata said nothing as he looked into her eyes, patiently waiting for her to calm down.

"Is that it?" Kimimaro asked as he emerged from his hiding place. "I thought the fight would be more impressive and messy."

"Why have you returned?" Ringo asked. "They will come after you. They will kill you."

"Nobody is coming yet," Utakata didn't sense anyone approaching them. "All I want is to talk. Can you manage it?"

"What is there to talk about, traitor?"

"Well, the fact that you are weak," Utakata sighed as Ringo spat at his face. He couldn't even clean his face as he had to hold Ringo down. "Really? You haven't changed a bit since I saw you last."

"Go to hell."

"You aren't injured," Utakata looked over her body and couldn't see any wounds. "Your chakra seems to be the same as it ever was. So, what happened?" Realization hit Utakata soon after. "You. You are sick, aren't you?"

"What of it? I still will kill you."

"I am sorry," Utakata slowly let Ringo go, as he was certain she had calmed down and wouldn't attack him. "I am sorry that I betrayed your trust. You can hate me and despise me as much as you want, but not right now. I have something to do and need your help."

Ringo slowly got up once Utakata let her. She fixed her clothing but never let him out of her eyes. Utakata cleaned the spit from his face with his sleeve. He didn't come to fight, and if Ringo still refused to help and tried to attack him, he wouldn't have any other choice but to run. This time, the fight was tame, and Ringo was always loud, so the neighbors didn't get alerted, but it was only a matter of time before someone noticed them.

"It doesn't matter," Ringo replied. "You were right, like always. Kisame and Zabuza followed your example and left the village, too. I thought of doing the same, but it is too late for me."

"I wasn't right," Utakata said as he found another chair to sit on. "I thought I had nothing and nobody left here. My purpose was to kill and then, in the end, to be killed. That was not a life I wanted, even though I didn't know what I wanted. But I was wrong. I had people who cared about me. A life I somehow build here among these people. And I abandoned them. For that, I am sorry."

"Save your bullshit for someone who cares," Ringo replied as Utakata expected her to. "Who is the brat?"

"I am no brat, and I am taller than you," Kimimaro replied, insulted by Ringo's words.

"That can change," Ringo said as he brandished her blades before their eyes.

"He is the last of the Kaguya clan," Utakata answered her.

"Great," Ringo took out a bottle of sake as she leaned by the table. "At least I have Yagura himself killing me and not one of his dogs."

"Not if I get to him first," Utakata replied, making Ringo spill her alcohol.

"So, this is why you have come," Ringo's hands were shaking as she held onto the bottle. "You won't succeed. He is too strong. And he is always surrounded by his most loyal dogs. The new one is quite troublesome, too. Mangetsu Hosuki, the second demon of the mist."

"Never heard of him," Utakata replied, not concerned.

"I did," Kimimaro said, his excited expression gone. "I heard even more things about him than I heard of you, Master Utakata."

"Don't call me that," Utakata said, hitting Kimimaro's head. "What is so special about him?"

"He is talented, more so than anyone I've ever seen," Ringo replied. "Even more talented than you. And that would be fine. But he is trained to replace the Seven Swordsmen."

"To replace them all?" Utakata still didn't understand.

"He is trained to be able to handle all the seven swords," Ringo replied. "He knows everything there is to know about our swords. And even though three, including yours, are missing, he already has mastered the rest of them."

"Even your Kiba blades?"

"I was the first to teach him all of my strengths and weaknesses," Ringo replied, clearly not happy about it. "And even if you pass through him, you have to kill hundreds of other shinobi before you reach Yagura. No one can even get close to him after Zabuza tried his luck."

"That's why I came to you."

"You already saw my condition," Ringo gulped down a cup of sake. "I am dying, Utakata. With each day, it is harder for me to move or even breathe. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be too much of a help to you. And I definitely don't want to help you kill hundreds of Mist shinobi before you murder the Mizukage."

"Nobody is going to die," Utakata said as if it were a matter of fact. "And I don't need that kind of help from you. I need to talk to Mei Terumi. Can you arrange a meeting with her?"

"What does that woman have to do with anything?" Ringo asked, but seeing Utakata's expression, she could only nod. "Fine. I see what I can do. But not in my house. We meet on the outskirts of the village, but not outside. The Mist shinobi are on a watchlist. To leave the village, you need a damn good reason."

Utakata agreed. He saw how heavily the village gates and walls were guarded. Without his sensing abilities and knowledge of the village, he wouldn't have been able to find a gap to sneak in. Still, it didn't surprise Utakata much. Even before he left the village, he could feel the heavy pressure put on certain shinobi. Now, it only extended to the rest.

…

Utakata didn't know how he should feel walking in the training grounds he once used. It felt like a lifetime ago, yet the clumsy cuts he made when he first started training with Sewing Needle were still visible. Many things changed, yet some stayed the same. This gave Utakata a sense of comfort but also dread.

"Aren't you afraid that she will betray you?" Kimimaro asked, sitting not far away from Utakata. "She was trying to kill you when she saw you. Now, she could be leading the squad to capture and kill you."

"Fear is just a feeling, and like any other feeling, it is impossible to control," Utakata replied as he touched the cuts left on the thick trees. "But it's your choice to let it control you or not. So, yes, I am afraid she might just do so."

"And yet you still willing to trust her?"

"I am because I want to," Utakata replied. "I choose to trust her over the fear of her betraying me. It is more rewarding living that way, even if it took too long for me to learn it."

Utakata could tell that his words went into one ear and came out from the other, as Kimimaro was barely even listening to him. He couldn't blame the young boy, as he probably sounded like some kind of weirdo. At least Kimimaro didn't need to pretend to be listening to Utakata for long as three shinobi were fast approaching them.

"Utakata of Blood Waters," Mei was the first to come before him, soon followed by Ringo and Ao. "Even when I am looking at you before my eyes, it is hard to believe you are here. What kind of a fool would come to die here?"

"I am not going to die," Utakata replied as he extended his senses, not able to sense anyone else close by. His confidence grew further.

"Big words coming from a traitor," Ao said as he got in position to attack Utakata.

"Yagura is controlled by genjutsu," Utakata's words stopped everyone in their tracks. "He has been for years, even before I left the village."

"I didn't know what I expected, but this wasn't it," Mei replied. "Even if what you say is true, how do you know it?"

"The same way I know that Ao has byakugan under his eyepatch or that there are only five of us in the area," Utakata said. "I have powerful sensing abilities. I can easily discern chakra."

"When did you learn to do that?" Ringo asked.

"I was born with it," Utakata answered. "You don't have to believe me. The truth can be seen. Am I wrong, Ao?"

"Something like this couldn't escape my eye," Ao agreed. "And whoever controls Yagura knows that too, since I wasn't allowed near him for years. But it is still a big stretch with no proof."

"What do you want, Utakata?" Mei stopped playing games. "You called out for me. What do you expect of me? You barely even know me. Are you doing this for your crimes to be forgiven? To return to the village?"

"God no," Utakata shuddered at the thought. "I will get rid of the genjutsu. The rest is up to you. After that is done, all I ask is that you don't send Hunter-nin after me and leave me alone."

"That it?"

"Well, I do want to beat Yagura up," Utakata smiled back at Mei. "And I know that you can help me with that."

"Where is your sword?" Mei asked instead.

"Buried, somewhere far away."

"You said your piece; I listened, and I don't believe you," Mei replied as she stepped forward, glaring at Utakata's eyes. "You killed your own master, an old friend of mine. Whatever you say or do won't change that. You won't get any forgiveness from me or the village. So, you have come here for nothing. And you will die for nothing."

"Story of my life," Utakata laughed as he returned the stare at Mei. "But you mistook something. I don't owe you anything. This village doesn't deserve for me to even feel guilty over it. It could burn to ashes, and I would sleep more soundly. But my master believed that this village could be saved. And that is the only reason why I am here. So, are you going to help me, or do I have to attack Yagura on my own?"

"Harusame also believed in you, and look what happened to him," Mei stepped even closer, and by now, Utakata could feel her breath.

"He wasn't wrong," Utakata found it hard to say, but it was true. "And I am here because he believed me to the very end. Even as he died in my hands."

Mei's eyes narrowed. Ao was prepared to support Mei at a moment's notice, but to Utakata's surprise, Ringo was keeping her eyes on Ao and not on him. She was ready to spring into action and attack Ao at a moment's notice. It wasn't necessary, as Utakata could feel that Mei wasn't even pushing her chakra and definitely wasn't ready to attack.

"What is your plan?"

"We will lure him out to Harusame's house on the outskirts of the village," Utakata replied. "It is the safest way to deal with him. And it will give Ao an opportunity to see for himself whether I am telling the truth or not."

"And how are we going to do that?"

"By using me as a bait. He will come after me if he hears I am at his doorstep."

Utakata could tell that Mei was mulling over his words. But in the end, she seemed to agree with him and turned to look at Ao. Utakata was sure that Mei would be able to think further into the plan. So, he wasn't concerned about the details. What more concerned him right now was Ringo's condition. No matter what, he was going to save her. He had to.