Chapter 4

Sanada had made a bit of distance away from Miyamoto, but she still heard the sound of swords clashing. A faint whistle made Sanada snap her attention toward the sound. She barely dodged the silver needles, but they still grazed her.

The figure threw a flurry of silver needles at Sanada, keeping a safe distance, the figure was able to manipulate Sanada's path.

Sanada dodged the silver needles with difficulty because of her previous injuries opening up.

After barely digging the needles, Sanada found herself at a river, she could jump over, but her wound is already opened back up. Sanada turned back to the forest where a mist began to roll out.

"Hand over the scroll, Sanada." The figure said as they walked through the mist, brandishing their silver needles between their fingers.

Sanada quickly did some hand signs.

"Earth Release: Mud Wall."

As the wall was erected, the figure did their own hand signs.

"Water-style: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death."

The river spat out a thousand water needles and shot them behind the wall. The needles pierced through the mud wall with ease, but no noise was made by Sanada.

The floor below the figure cracked open, and arms burst out, attempting to grab onto the figure.

When the ground cracked open, the figure stumbled from shock but was able to jump into the air before they were caught.

Sanada jumped up at the figure from behind one of the trees. They were shocked for a second before they threw silver needles through her head. Sanada turned to water and splashed against the ground.

"Fire-style: Fireball Jutsu."

The figure snapped their eyes down in surprise. As the fireball hit the figure, the fireball exploded.

Sanada looked up, huffing and puffing, trying to see any trace of the figure, all that was left was burning wood.

The water on the ground from the water needle attack began to rise.

Sanada didn't realize until it was too late.

"Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals."

Sanada tried to dash out of the some of mirrors, but a needle stuck itself into her already-opened wound. Sanada sprawled to the ground, tumbling onto her back.

"Hand over the Scroll, Sanada, or I shall kill you in the most excruciating way possible."

Sanada looked up, hopelessness found its way into her heart. She now saw the mask of her attacker, but now she was looking at 30 of them.

"Left leg."

Sanada's leg squirted blood as a needle found itself in her leg.

"Right shoulder."

Sanada tried to dodge the needle, but then the needle came from another direction, still piercing her right shoulder.

"Left elbow."

Sanada tried to dodge the blow and cover her elbow with her arm, but the needle pinned her hand to her elbow. The needle pierced her funny bone, giving her a tingling sensation all up her arm.

"S-Stop, please!" Sanada cried out as she was bleeding all over, the pain too much to bear.

"I'll give you the scroll, just Pl-e-a-se stop," Sanada began to choke on her tears, a lump in her throat tightening.

The assailant readied another needle and looked down at Sanada with an unknown expression.

"Why would I do that if I could take it from your corpse?" The figure readied to throw their needles, but suddenly the weight of a tree fall on their shoulders.

The figure looked towards the hill where Zabuza and Miyamoto were.

"Zabuza!" The figure stopped their Jutsu, making the mirrors turn into water as they dashed from tree to tree, trying to get to their master.

"Please be safe, master!" The figure couldn't understand it, but he felt something wrong in their chest.

(A few moments before.)

Miyamoto stepped into his stance, his right foot forward, his left hand on his sword grip, the blade curving around his back, and his right hand out front.

Zabuza looked at Miyamoto. The air around Miyamoto swayed like a heat wave, the ground underneath and the tree behind Miyamoto, swayed under the pressure of his presence. As Zabuza looked into Miyamoto's eyes, he saw a face hardened and moulded by battle, and eyes that stares into his soul, like a predator does to prey. The presence that Miyamoto exuded made Zabuza second-guess his choice of fighting against Miyamoto, but he was paid, so he needs to fulfil it.

Miyamoto smiled at Zabuza. The title of 7 swordsmen was intriguing, especially among these shinobi that wield strange magic.

"Come, famed swordsman Zabuza, let us clash swords," Miyamoto said, unwavering, unfazed.

"Why, do I feel nervous?" Zabuza felt his hand shaking, which in turn made his sword harder to carry.

"Nervous!?" Zabuza lashed out in anger. His body to be scared of a fight!? Never!

Miyamoto saw the wavering Zabuza, his respect and anticipation for the fight were almost extinguished by the weakness Zabuza was showing.

Zabuza dash forward, the wind breaking as he swung his sword down upon Miyamoto.

Miyamoto watched as the blade swung down, closing in on his face. The blade was mere centimetres from his hair before Miyamotk dodged.

Zabuza saw the blade connect with Miyamoto, splitting him in half. The blade crashed into the ground, shooting up pieces of rock and dirt. Before the dirt reached him, Zabuza saw Miyamoto fade away.

Miyamoto dodged the blade so fast that he left an afterimage. As Zabuza was about to recover from his failed attack, Miyamoto bashed the butt of his sword hilt into Zabuza's nose.

Zabuza jumped back, seeing Miyamoto completely fine.

"What the hell?" Through his face wrappings, Zabuza's nose began to bleed.

'How the hell? Who is this bastard!?' The after image, the quick attack, Zabuza had never seen anything like it. The pain from the nose strike finally occurred, Zabuza tried to not recoil from the pain, but it felt like his face was getting dragged to his nose.

"Zabuza, is this all the skill one of the 7 swordsmen?"

Zabuza looked back a Miyamoto, his eyes still trained on Zabuza. The eyes that looked into his soul, looked at him like prey. Zabuza grew furious at the weakness he was showing.

In the distance, the bright fireball exploded.

Zabuza looked at the explosion, worry clinging to his heart as he wondered about Haku. Zabuza turned back to Miyamoto, the bastard's eyes hadn't blinked once, Zabuza was unnerved by the tenacity of his opponent.

"You continue to disappoint, Zabuza. How could someone lose focus in the middle of a duel?" Miyamoto said as he stepped into his stance, lowering his body more to the ground.

"Or are you looking down on me?"

Zabuza saw Miyamoto lower himself closer to the ground, his face hadn't changed, but he looked ready to pounce, his eyes looked hungry. His presence made the surroundings sway like a heatwave yet again, but now it warped them, making them together.

"I will show you what it's like to insult me, Miyamoto Musashi!" Miyamoto let out more of his fighting spirit.

Birds began to fly away out of fear of being hunted by the beast that lived in the forest, and the rodents ran under frees, borrowing their way into the roots, seeking shelter from this new predator.

Zabuza was frozen in place as he felt a blade pressed against his shoulders, thighs, neck, hands, knees, ribs, ankles, and fingers. Zabuza wanted to move, he gritted his teeth in anger and moved his sword arm. The blade on his arm sliced through his arm with ease, Zabuza could feel the cut and choked on the pain, but when he looked down, he saw his arm still there.

"Do you understand? The responsibility of pointing a sword at someone?"

Zabuza snapped his eyes back to Miyamoto, huffing and puffing through his nose in panic and anger

"You accept the duel, and that duel ends-" Miyamoto tightened his leg muscles, ready to pounce.

"In death!" Miyamoto said loud enough for Zabuza as he pounced over the distance between them at a blistering speed.

Zabuza felt his world slow as he focused on the blade that was swinging down on his face, but something out of the corner dashed out of the forest.

Miyamoto slashed at Zabuza and a splatter of blood gushed out...