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« on: July 19, 2017, 09:40:39 »
Chapter Three
"Oh God!" It was still three hours before sunrise as Okabe ran through the eastern plains of Heizugakure, heaving, and tripping, tears were rolling down his cheeks and sweat was pouring out of every inch of his body, drenching his garments in the cold winter. The mist was thicker than the clouds. Okabe had tried to suppress his breathing but things had taken a U-turn now. Fear and tension had crept into his mind.
"Oh god Oh god Oh GOD!" Okabe started flailing his katana wildly.
"I'm dead! I'm done for!" He could hear his assailant's muffled footfalls on the grass but the mist made it impossible for Okabe to locate him. His eyes were too busy scanning the white and hazy surrounding.
'Just one clue!' His mind raced, 'Just a sign... just a--'
His thoughts were cut short as he fell face first on the grassy patch and skidded across the setting dew.
"Unghshhh.." Okabe tasted grass. He did not dare look up. He knew he had messed up and he was done for. Yet, collecting all his strength, he pulled his face out of the dirt and greens.
He gasped as he felt the cold metal on his neck. His heart would have given up if he had not seen the red cloth tied on the hilt of the Katana of his assailant.
"You failed again." He said in a cold voice.
"I'm... I'm sorry Rai-sensei." Okabe choked.
The katana disappeared in the mist again as OSamurai's figure appeared.
"You really suck at picking up chakra signatures don't you?"
"Huh?"
"Don't tell me you didn't think about it." Osamurai looked down upon the sorry pile of flesh and bones that his student was.
"I-- umm-- forgot."
Osamurai sighed.
"We shall continue stealth combat tomorrow. Go home, for now, the training seems to be punishment enough for you."
***
"HAHAHA..." Daru's laugh startled Yukahari behind the counter.
"Keep it low Daru!" Yukahari chided him, "I almost spilled your ramen."
She placed two bowls of Ramen and half a loaf of bread on the table. "Besides, it was the first time little Okabe did Stealth fighting didn't he?" She patted Okabe on his head.
"It's stealth combat Yuka-san..." Okabe replied gloomily, "And I'm not little."
"Still, I had heard him say it like a million times to you for the past week!" Daru piped in. "Try picking up the chakra signatures of your opponent Okabe... sense the enemy's chakra Okabe.... Keep your senses clear for any chakra signatures around you... Osamurai-san must be fed up with you by now."
"Daru!" Yukahari glared at him and asked him to stop.
"No Yuka-san, Daru is right... it has been over a month now and not only I fail to pick up chakra but I can't even maintain my chakra." Okabe stirred his noodles staring at them blankly. "I am a bad student... he might really be fed up with me."
Yukahari bent over the counter and placed her hand on Okabe's shoulder, looking straight in his eyes.
"But you are already so good with your blade. In fact, OSamu-kun was surprised that you possessed such skills."
"Yet..." Okabe sighed. "What use is my sword if I can't see my enemy?"
"You cannot just learn everything in one day can you?" Yukahari's voice grew stern. "You said you are not a little boy but you keep acting like one, fussing over one thing and becoming sad over such simple things."
"But-" Okabe tried to interrupt.
"So what if you could not perform well in this test, instead of being discouraged you should assess your problems and overcome them so that the next time you do well."
Daru silently slurped up his bowl of ramen and eyed for Okabe's share.
"Yuka-san," Okabe started, "Would you have still served us breakfast and lunch... if I hadn't ... umm.. saved you that night?"
Yukahari looked at Okabe, amused by such a question thrown at her.
"That's totally unrelated. After all, you both earn your meals by helping me out with the deliveries."
Okabe smiled. "Yeah. Right."
***
"Ready?" OSamurai pulled out his katana from the sheath. It was the same place, biting cold winter night, shrouded in the grayish white mist.
The figure on the other side also pulled out his sword.
"Took you a while didn't it?" Osamurai covered his blade with fire. "Hope you have improved, he smiled as he charged into the emptiness.
***
"Oh God!" Okabe tore through the mist as he rushed towards the open land.
"Oh god oh oh god oh god!" His breath was already heavy as he scanned his surroundings.
'HAZE EASTERN PLAINS' the signboard read.
"I'm late."
***
"Gaah!" The blade ran through his forearm as OSamurai yelped, "Yet you fell for it!" He thrust his blazing katana right through his opponent's shoulder.
'Check.'
He heard a muffled grunt that left the lips of his opponent followed by a coarse laugh. "But not check mate yet sensei?"
The figure of his opponent disappeared leaving behind a huge puff of smoke.
"You still calling me sensei?" OSamurai smirked, "Aren't you ashamed?"
He leapt to his side and swung his Katana right through another figure which too like the previous one went up in smoke. He heard a soft thud on the grass a meter behind him. He turned around. 'Strange. yet...'
"So you have learnt to cloak your chakra too?" He jumped towards the noise only to realize it was Okabe out there. He immediately cut his leap short and turned around.
"Okabe..." He started. "Training cancelled for today, you need to run away."
Okabe had seen OSamurai's blazing katana for the first time. He also noticed the bleeding arm.
"Rai sensei!" He gasped. "You're hur-"
"DUCK!" OSamurai pushed Okabe down as the enemy thrust his sword, going straight for Okabe's throat. Instead of flesh, his sword met the fiery clang of OSamurai's steel. "It's between me and you Oriva, stay away from the kid."
"Hunghh I'm pretty sure now that he is important!" Oriva hissed as he went for another head on swing which once again was thwarted by OSamurai, but immediately, another clone charged from behind aiming straight for Okabe's back.
'Shit!'
SKKRRRISSHH
"After all," Oriva grinned through his anger as he enjoyed the sound of his katana tearing through skin, cutting through the flesh and rupturing the organs, "Sensei loves his students." He pulled his sword out.
Okabe stared into the darkness aghast. His mouth was wide open as the mist, which was disrupted by the rapid movements started to resettle.
"R..Rai sensei." Okabe turned around. The blade had gone straight through OSamurai's left side of his belly. The green grass was turning crimson as blood gushed out of the wound.
"Okabe." OSamurai turned to look at him with a smile, he had closed his eyes to contain the throbbing pain. "You okay?"
Teary eyed and still shaken Okabe nodded.
"Good."
He turned back facing his Enemy now.
"Check mate." He charged at Oriva but just before swinging his sword at him, he rapidly flung it towards his left, launching the burning blade into the mist.
The clone in front of him disappeared as OSamurai heard his enemy's short but clear proclamation of anguish followed by a soft thud. He followed the sound and ended up in front of Oriva's limp body. The sword had gone through the left lung and had immediately turned every tissue it touched to ash. Not a single drop of blood.
"Fire style: Blade of Incineration." He uttered before collapsing.
***
"Osamu-kun? You're awake?"
Okabe heard Yukahari's voice as he jumped up from his perch on porch and rushed inside. Daru followed his lead.
"Rai sensei!"
OSamurai smiled weakly. "There there... stop crying, I'm still in one piece."
Okabe wiped his watery eyes. "I'm not... I am not crying." He looked up smiling.
"Well I'd say thanks to you, I could locate him then and there."
"Huh?"
OSamurai laughed and explained how Oriva, one of his elite students from the village where he came from, had let his guard down by uncloaking his chakra the moment he saw his clone rip my bowel. It was that moment when OSamurai picked his signatures and rest was a simple deception which led to Oriva's fall.
"But to think you kept your cool while your gut was pouring blood," Daru started, "You are damn cool OSamurai sensei."
"Hahaha, it comes with experience," He looked at Okabe, "A lot of things come with experience."
Okabe nodded.
"And you learnt to cloak your chakra?"
"Mhmm, I figured if I can't locate you then I should instead focus on hiding myself." Okabe replied shyly, "After all, I know how pissed you get when someone is not punctual."
Everyone laughed.
***
"Thanks!" Okabe had come out of his Sensei's home, a boy, around 6 or 7 years old was standing outside with his hands inside his pocket.
"No problem! It will be my duty in future to protect and help every villager when I become the Heizukage!"
"Hahaha and I wish you all the best for that." Okabe bowed.
"Well then... I'm getting late! I need to get back home now, will be starting at the academy today! Need to make preps See ya around!... umm Okabe right?"
"Yeah."
"Bye Okabe-kun!"
"Oi wait!" Okabe called out, "I don't know your name though!"
The young boy turned as he was running and with a smile, he shouted back, "Yokiro, Yokiro Nii of the-- waah-oomp!"
He tripped on a rock and fell.
"Oh crap!" Okabe jumped over the fence. "Hope he's okay."
TBC...
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. I like the Pokémon reference you made 
. Hope to see you in game sometime.
^_^
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