Chapter 2: The Scroll and the Sword
The young ninja carrying Akatsurugi, Kagami, remained vigilant. Throughout this leg of the journey, he noted that his young charge made no suspicious movements, which allowed him a small measure of relief. Furthermore, the unique security seal on the scroll appeared genuine, confirming the boy's story.
Suddenly, Kagami leaped sideways without warning. Several shuriken thudded into the ground where they had just been standing. Akatsurugi's eyes narrowed. These ninja and their ambushes, he cursed inwardly. He had thought reaching the Konoha camp would be straightforward, but they had already been attacked twice.
Kagami landed softly, his gaze fixed warily on a specific direction. From the shadows of the trees, two figures emerged. They had the dark skin and muscular builds characteristic of Hidden Cloud shinobi, with shockingly bright blond hair that gave them a distinct look.
"Heh," one of them chuckled, his Cloud headband glinting. "A Konoha ninja traveling with a civilian. That civilian must be quite valuable."
Their tone suggested they viewed Kagami and Akatsurugi as prey already caught.
"I recognize him," the other Cloud ninja said, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword. "That's one of Konoha's Genin, Kosuke Maruboshi. Be careful. The Second Hokage himself trained him. He's no pushover."
"Oh, it's him?" the first ninja replied, his demeanor turning serious. He gripped a handful of kunai, ready to throw. "The intel said he's taken out many of our comrades."
Akatsurugi listened, surprised. He looked at the young ninja carrying him with new respect. This was Kosuke Maruboshi, the so-called "Eternal Genin" who was rumored to possess incredible, hidden power. It seemed that even now, in his youth, his reputation was being forged.
Maruboshi offered no reply, his cold stare fixed on the two enemies.
Swish! Swish!
The Cloud ninja launched their attack, hurling a volley of kunai. In mid-air, several shuriken suddenly appeared, deflecting the kunai with sharp clangs. Yet, the deflected blades merely altered their trajectory, still homing in on Maruboshi and his passenger with unnerving accuracy.
This level of shurikenjutsu, Akatsurugi realized, was a standard, deadly skill in every village, not unique to the famed Uchiha.
Maruboshi knew he could dodge this assault, but with Akatsurugi on his back, his mobility was compromised. Letting the boy go, however, would be a death sentence. He had no other choice.
His hands flew through a series of hand seals with blinding speed. As the kunai closed in, a swirling vortex of water erupted around them, forming a protective tornado. The kunai struck the churning water and were swept helplessly into the air.
Without pausing, Maruboshi formed another sequence of seals. "Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" he shouted.