"Kaito, Uncle Beard, you two are up."
"Yes, sir!"
The two took their wooden sticks, stepped into the center of the ring, and stared each other down.
In terms of sheer size, it looked like a small monkey facing off against a massive bear.
"Kaito-kid, you'd better bring your A-game, or I'm gonna make you cry," Uncle Beard said with a grin, rubbing his wooden stick.
"We'll see who's crying in the end," Kaito replied, a cheerful smile on his face, showing no fear.
The crowd of onlookers started fanning the flames.
"Go, Kaito! I'm rooting for you! Knock him flat!"
"Yeah! If you win, we'll let you have a taste of bear paw!"
"Oh, get lost, you lot!" Uncle Beard laughed and cursed at them good-naturedly. "Itching for a beating, are you? Any of you dare to step in here and fight me?"
"Haha, no way!"
Uncle Beard's strength was among the best of the hunters.
After a moment of laughter, Captain Okihira spoke up. "Enough talk. Begin."
"Right!" Uncle Beard's smile vanished instantly. His eyes widened, and he glared at Kaito as if he were prey.
Pfft, he really does look like a big bear, Kaito thought, his body trembling as he suppressed a laugh.
Uncle Beard caught the slight movement. He immediately took a large stride forward, swinging the wooden stick down over Kaito's head with a loud roar. "Hah!"
A gust of wind rushed toward him. Kaito's pupils contracted. Tossing his dignity aside, he threw himself sideways, rolling several times to dodge the blow.
"Good, again!" Uncle Beard pressed his advantage, chasing after Kaito, giving him no room to breathe.
Fortunately, Kaito was agile. After dodging for a bit, he finally managed to create some distance. Having bought himself a moment, he regained his usual composure, his eyes fixed on the hand with which Uncle Beard gripped the stick.
"Heh, you're pretty good at running," Uncle Beard said, panting slightly. "But you can't catch any prey like that."
Kaito remained silent, his focus absolute. He wanted to use this spar to test his own abilities.
After a brief rest, Uncle Beard closed in on Kaito again, once more bringing his stick down in a powerful vertical slash. The stick whistled as it cut through the air.
To everyone's surprise, Kaito didn't dodge this time. His eyes flashed. Gripping his own stick with both hands, he swung it from the side.
Thwack!
The two sticks met and instantly separated.
"Huh?" Uncle Beard looked at his own stick, which had been knocked aside, and let out a sound of surprise.
Watching from the sidelines, Captain Okihira's brow twitched. Was that a coincidence?
What happened next proved it was not.
Every one of Uncle Beard's wild, powerful attacks was parried by Kaito. The sound of wood striking wood echoed relentlessly.
The other hunters couldn't believe their eyes.
"What's going on? Did Uncle Beard skip breakfast? He's got the strength of a bear. How is Kaito blocking him?"
"Hehehe, maybe he was too tired from last night."
"Is it possible that Kaito is just really strong, too?"
"Hah, no way. He's just a kid."
"That's true..."
Captain Okihira glanced at them but said nothing.
After a while, both combatants were panting heavily. Seeing this, Captain Okihira spoke up at the right moment. "We'll call this one a draw."
"Alright," Kaito nodded. He had already spent the morning chopping wood and practicing his sword forms; even gripping the stick was becoming difficult now. There was no point in continuing.
"Well, if the captain says so, then I guess I'll let you off the hook for today." Uncle Beard took a deep breath to steady himself and shook his head. "Kaito-kid, you did pretty well to fight me to a standstill. But even I have to team up with others to hunt. You shouldn't go out there alone. The outside world isn't as simple as you think."
If he was having this much trouble against Uncle Beard, who wasn't even a ninja, Kaito knew he had no reason to be arrogant. He could easily end up dead before his journey had even truly begun.
Thinking this, a smile appeared on his face. "Yeah, I know. I heard there have been wandering ninja around lately. I was already planning to stick with everyone else."
"Wandering ninja?" The faces of many who were hearing this for the first time turned pale. To ordinary people like them, the word "ninja" was synonymous with terror and disaster.
"Captain, is this true?" More than a dozen pairs of eyes turned to Captain Okihira.
Captain Okihira gave a slight nod. "It is. I was just about to tell you all."
"Yesterday, a merchant caravan passed through the village for supplies and told us. Thankfully, they had ninja bodyguards and managed to scare those wandering ninja away. But there's no doubt they meant us harm. So, for the time being, the village will be sealed off. You'll all suspend your hunting activities. We'll wait for them to leave."
"That's the best course of action," Uncle Beard said, stroking his beard, his face grim. "The village is about to settle in for the winter anyway, and we have almost enough food stored up. Once the snow starts, we'll be safe. They won't come out in a blizzard."
"Correct. Which makes our task for the next few days critical. Starting today, everyone will take turns on patrol to heighten the village's security. Uncle Beard, take some men and set traps in the surrounding area. And finally, if you encounter any strangers, do not act rashly. Your first priority is to report back to me. Understood?" Captain Okihira said, his gaze sweeping over the group.
"Understood!"
"Good."
After assigning tasks to everyone, Captain Okihira looked at Kaito. "You stay. Those with duties can go. The rest of you, go home and rest."
"Yes, sir!"
The crowd dispersed, leaving only Kaito and Captain Okihira in the clearing.
"Follow me."
"Okay."
They walked one after the other into a simple wooden house. Kaito recognized it as the captain's home, but he had never been inside. His curious eyes took in the scene.
Aside from a bed, a table, and a chair, the rest were just miscellaneous items. There were hardly any clothes. It was a typical bachelor's residence.
Strange, the captain should have plenty of money. And he doesn't drink or overeat. Could it be that he gives it all away? Kaito thought, recalling the looks of reverence and gratitude he'd seen from the other villagers. He thought he understood.
"Sit." Captain Okihira pulled over the chair and placed it in front of Kaito, then sat down on the bed himself.
Kaito thanked him and sat down carefully on the wobbly-legged chair. "Captain," he asked, feeling a little nervous, "is there something you wanted to tell me?"
"It's nothing much." Captain Okihira paused, looking directly into Kaito's azure eyes. "During your spar just now, you were deliberately striking the end of Uncle Beard's stick, weren't you? Why?"
"Uh..."
Was he supposed to explain that it was because of physics?
He pondered for a moment before answering, "Because I found that it saves a little bit of strength."
"And you were that confident you could hit that exact spot?"
"Um... is that hard to do?"
"..." Captain Okihira was silent for a moment. He reached under his pillow, pulled out a small booklet, and handed it to Kaito. "These are my own personal notes on swordsmanship. Take a look when you have time. Don't let your talent with the sword go to waste."
Kaito took the booklet and flipped it open. An awkward smile spread across his face. "I can't read..."
"..."