Chapter 84 - Samurai

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Akio, of course, didn't have a sword that had fallen into the hot spring. He had simply found a secluded spot and pulled out a longsword from a sealing scroll he carried with him.

He had bought this sword back when he accompanied Hashirama and Tobirama to the Land of Iron for the Five Kage Summit. It contained chakra-conductive metal. Akio had originally intended to extract the chakra metal from the blade and forge two custom shuriken, but he had kept putting it off. He hadn't expected it would actually come in handy now.

Slanting the sword across his waist and tidying his clothes, Akio nodded in satisfaction.

"This time, I really do look like a wandering ronin..."

When he returned to the guard recruitment center, there was someone new inside along with the scar-faced man—a young boy.

The scar-faced man was speaking, "Chūnin, huh? That's fine. I've got it recorded. We'll begin the test once everyone's gathered—huh, you actually came back!" He spotted Akio walking in mid-sentence.

Akio smiled and nodded. "Scarface, I'm back to apply. Let's talk about the pay…"

Even though Akio wasn't short on money, he was always frugal.

Scarface stood up and shot him a sharp look. "Come on. With the two of you, that should just about do it. Follow me to the merchant convoy's camp. Someone there will test you. We'll talk about payment after." His expression darkened. "And if anyone lied about their abilities... the person testing you won't go easy."

Despite the threat, Akio still wore his usual carefree grin. The boy beside him, however, looked terrified.

As they followed Scarface to the merchants' camp, Akio turned to the nervous youth beside him with a friendly smile.

"Kid, how old are you? First mission away from home?"

The boy stiffened but straightened up when he heard Akio's tone.

"I'm not a kid—I'm seventeen!" He paused, then lowered his voice. "I'm a civilian ninja from the Land of Hot Water. This is my first time leaving the country…"

Akio nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, the Land of Hot Water was peaceful—peaceful enough for someone to reach seventeen without ever taking a mission abroad.

"But… is that kind of peace really a good thing?" he murmured to himself, falling silent.

"Big bro, aren't you curious why I took this mission?" the boy asked, breaking the silence.

Akio chuckled inwardly. Haven't been called 'big bro' in years… Say that kind of thing in Konoha, and you'd probably get smacked.

"What's there to ask? It's always one of two things. Either you've got a sick mother back home and need the money—which will move me and make me protect you during the escort. Or you're unwilling to live a mediocre life and want to challenge yourself—which will impress me and make me protect you anyway."

The boy: "…"

Up ahead, Scarface actually turned around and smiled at that. Akio flinched—startled.

They walked on in silence, eventually leaving the bustling village and arriving at a wide-open plain.

In the distance, Akio spotted a merchant convoy—nearly a hundred people, with over a dozen wagons.

He frowned slightly. "That's a pretty big convoy… Judging from the deep wheel ruts, they must be carrying something heavy."

A small, elderly man came out to greet them and addressed Scarface directly.

"Shinpachi, you're back with only two people?"

Akio sensed the old man had no chakra at all and wasn't physically strong. He was likely just a regular person. But the way he spoke as an equal to Scarface meant he was probably the head or manager of the convoy.

Sure enough, Scarface's next words confirmed his suspicion.

"President, that blond kid claims to be a high-ranking samurai. If that's true, then our numbers should just about be enough."

The old man frowned and looked over at Akio, clearly skeptical. Still, he didn't question it directly and simply said, "Then include the five we recruited earlier and test them all."

Scarface nodded and turned to the two of them.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Sanada Shinpachi, captain of the convoy's guards—and a high-ranking samurai." He glanced at Akio. "And stop calling me Scarface."

"Sure thing, Scarface," Akio replied nonchalantly.

Shinpachi's face twitched. The old man, on the other hand, looked rather amused.

"You're Akio, right? Come with me. I'll test your abilities myself." Then he shouted, "Tsukasa! Get over here. Take this kid and the five others I brought before and test their skills."

A refined-looking young samurai jogged over and led the nervous boy away.

"Where's the test happening?" Akio asked casually, not the least bit tense.

"Right here," Shinpachi replied. "President, please step back."

The old man nodded and moved about ten meters away.

"Begin," Shinpachi said calmly, signaling Akio to strike first.

Akio shrugged, not one to argue. He unsheathed his sword and swung.

Shinpachi caught the blow without countering. "You really a high-ranking samurai? Strength's not bad, but your angle's all wrong. And that grip—completely off. You still have time to back out."

Akio flushed slightly. Truth be told, he'd never properly practiced kenjutsu.

"This is a special style," he protested. "Want me to teach you?"

Shinpachi paused, then his eyes widened. He swung his blade suddenly—so fast Akio felt like he was facing the head of the Hatake clan from back in the day.

Impressive presence… but no chakra response. Must be a traditional-style samurai, Akio thought. Despite not knowing sword techniques, he easily parried several blows thanks to his superior physique.

Shinpachi silently nodded and sheathed his sword.

Akio thought the test was over—but then Shinpachi suddenly shouted, "Iai Slash!"

The draw technique was as fast as lightning. Akio's eyes narrowed, and he infused his blade with chakra—not elemental, just raw energy—and parried in the nick of time.

Shinpachi grunted. "So you're a modern-style samurai. Not bad chakra reserves either. No wonder you had the nerve to call yourself a high-ranking samurai." Without another word, he turned and walked off.

Akio scratched his head, unsure how to respond.

The old man walked over, smiling kindly.

"Don't mind Shinpachi's sudden strike—it's just to prevent rogue ninja from infiltrating the convoy. As for his hostility toward modern-style samurai... well, that scar on his face came from one, so…"

Akio nodded in understanding.

"Then—Akio, was it?—welcome to the convoy! Here's half your payment upfront: 500,000 ryō. You'll get the rest once the cargo is delivered."

Akio raised an eyebrow, but then smiled and accepted it, officially joining the convoy.

"…I don't remember hearing anything about getting paid in advance."

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