Samurai Showdown With Kakashi

- Are you kidding me? - Said Linja, exasperated. She had such a cute expression when she was mad. - Have you completely lost your mind?

- No, I'm pretty sure I know where my mind is.

- You're bruised from head to toe. At least heal a little before doing something this crazy.

- Look, I learned a lot more than I thought possible from my fight against Kakashi, and I honestly can't wait to try it out. I'll rest once I beat him.

- I hope so, because you don't know what I'm going to do to you if you lose my only chance to get that scr... - She looked around, noticing the guards attention on us. - ...this close to the great samurai general.

With this new threat adding to the already overwhelming amount of pressure on me, I walked trembling to the room in which the challenge would take place. Before we had moved towards here, Mifune had commanded a couple samurai to prepare a room for us, and from the looks of it there wasn't much to prepare. The room with wooden floors and a big exit to a garden was completely empty, except for the two training puppets put side by side. Since it was a duel of laidõ, the simplicity made sense. As ordered by one of he guards, I positioned myself right in front of one the dolls, while Mifune got in front of the other. Now, I know what you're thinking, isn't laidõ supposed to launch you a certain distance at a high speed? Why would you stand right in front of the doll? So here's what I failed to make clear. Laidõ is a technique used to unsheath the sword at a speed higher than usual by the use of chakra. I tend to go overboard on the chakra used, and end up exploding myself along with my sword in one direction, something I was only capable of doing well after months, if not, years of training. Here we were simply going to unsheath the sword, slash the doll, and put it back in the scabbard.

Mifune looked at me, seemingly ready, and said:

- Since you were the one to issue the challenge, why not do the countdown? - I was shocked with the request. I thought one of the guards would count us down, since whoever counts has the advantage of knowing when it ends. I obviously had to respect the gift. It would stain my honor, but after all, I was going up against the samurai general. So I said loudly:

- Alright then on go! Three! - I forced my muscles and remembered the feeling I got during my fight with Kakashi when I was enraged. This was the time to open the gate.

- Two! - I felt my chakra increase, and my muscles crack. Come on body, just one more push.

- One! - The chakra poured out from my limitations and wr.a.p.ed my body in energy. I was ready, I can actually do this.

- GO!

The sound of a doll being slashed was heard after Mifune had already resheated his sword, or at least, it would have been heard, if not for the loud bump of my face against the wall. At speeds higher than sound itself, I was launched forward, way past the doll against the wall. I wasn't used to hold my sword steady, I suppose another area I wasn't good at. Everyone was shocked at the development as the guards came rushing after me. I saw Linja sneakily hiding away, in an attempt to leave the place as fast as possible. With my failure, this approach to get the scroll was no longer possible, so she must have left to try again. Mifune came walking in my direction. I was already used to being embarassed by others, but with the samurai general it was too much.

- Just get me out of here. I'm sorry I ever tried. - I had to get out, and think of something else with Linja.

- What are you talking about? You were successful. - I looked at him in disbelief. - I mean, I certainly don't want you as my guard, but I see potential in you. You'll be staying in the headquarters from now on. We'll have a talk about your future.

I must've knocked my head way too hard. What does he mean by me being successful? Which part of that was a victory?

- Also, could you hand me your scabbard? - I quickly and painfully removed my scabbard from my belt and gave it to him. - As I thought. This won't do. - I looked at the scabbard and saw what he meant. Cracks seemed to cover it from one side to the other, but that's the first time I've seen that happen. I wonder what caused it?

He then ordered one of present samurai while holding the scabbard:

- Give him a new, sturdier one. Also take him to the medics. And also get him something proper to wear. This kid is going to give us a lot of work. - He then proceeded to leave the room as if nothing had happenned. He didn't laugh at me, didn't even pride himself in his victory, all he did was acknowledge the opponent and give him the treatment he thought was just. I was really happy with having someone like him lead my land, however I was also completely lost, so I couldn't even say a word of praise as he left the room. One of the guards picked me up and put me on his shoulder, to bring me to the hospital. The moment he found a good position to carry me, I fainted once more. This had been a really tough start to the week.

I woke up in a comfortable bed, and no longer felt the pain coursing through my body, being only a bit tired, if not, drowsy. A beautiful nurse was up beside me, taking notes of my vitals to report to her superiors. I looked at her in the eyes and said:

- Hi there. - A loud scream echoed throughout the hospital from her, as she followed with a shout.

- HE'S AWAKE! - All around the hospital you could see the noise of people approaching my room. With interesting looks, mad expressions, and even familiar faces:

- Hey Renji.

- Hey Rod.

He was a good friend of mine. The best of the class from the samurai school, and a prodigy who after one year got to be one of the top samurai of the land. We still tried keeping each other up to date, however now wasn't a good time with all the commotion. A guard made his way to the front of the crowd and looked at me aggressively:

- So the jerk is finally awake? How dare you challenge the great Mifune the way you did? Do you have no shame?

- Hey, I was little embarassed, and I would say I suffered the consequences. - I pointed out while in the hospital bed.

- If it wasn't for the great Mifune's kindness you wouldn't have made it out alive after such disrespect.

- I will thank him later when I have the time. Now could you all let me rest, I kind of just woke up.

Some people still tried to ask a few things "How were you accepted?", "What made you do such a thing?", were the most common questions but it didn't take long for everyone to leave. Only Renji and the guard stayed, the guard watching the ward from close by and Renji sitting in a chair next to my bed:

- Tell me everything. - He ordered. With him, requests were never just suggestions.

- Fine, but it'll be a pretty long story.