Black Knight!

Natsumi and Ken had confirmed the rōnin’s disability. They both stood still at their positions trying to come up with a strategy. Ken was closer by a few steps and to the west of the enemy. Gen may have been blind but his defenses seemed to be impenetrable. It was still dark with the moon barely providing enough light for the two Lightning shinobi to visualize their enemy. Natsumi then noticed the rōnin make a mudra.

“Where are you hiding girl,” the rōnin pressed his thumb over his ring finger with the other three faced upwards and drew his hand close to his face. “Hankei Kakuchō (Radius Expansion)!”

Gen’s loss of sight meant that his other senses were heightened tenfold. His sense of smell, hearing and touch made up much of his ‘peripheral vision.’ He could make black and white mental images for anything within a two metre radius using just those three senses. When he activated Hankei Kakuchō he increased his field of view to ten metres. With the technique activated white ripples in a black void expanded from Gen’s feet that crossed with any object within their radius. He was now able to make a mental figure of Ken and also identify his precise location. Luckily for Natsumi she was still out of reach for the rōnin.

“There you are boy,” Gen smiled. “Shinjimae (Now die)!”

Gen used his Jinsoku Tekko-Kagi for a second time, now on an unsuspecting Ken. The rōnin had moved so fast that he left a shockwave behind him.

“Ken watch out!” Natsumi yelled, noticing the rōnin almost teleport towards her friend.

It was already too late. By the time Ken heard Natsumi’s warning he had been viciously scratched across his chest. Ken was badly wounded and the only thing that saved him from certain death was the chain mail underneath his jacket which had been torn apart. At that instant Natsumi fired three arrows simultaneously. As the arrows entered the rōnin’s radius the bells on his kasa rang thrice. Gen’s ears twitched as he listened carefully to determine where the projectiles came from and tried to move out of the way. Unfortunately this time around he couldn’t move as fast because he was out of energy. He tilted slightly to avoid a fatal attack and the sharp projectiles pierced his chest near the clavicle and shoulder blade.

“Nice girl,” Gen applauded Natsumi as he felt the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and then made his usual grin. “Seventeen metres south but I can’t move that far in an instant because I need to replenish my prana,” he thought.

Gen faced the teenage boy who was lying on the ground on his back trying to muster the strength to get up and fight. He walked towards the young shinobi to finish him off and was stopped by Natsumi’s heavy artillery. The bells kept on ringing as the arrows kept on flying. Gen dodged and blocked many of the sharp projectiles but the few that landed impaled through his right arm. Even after losing the use of his arm he kept moving towards Ken. After deducing that the bells jingled each time she shot her arrows, Natsumi fired once more this time aiming at the kasa and shot it out of the rōnin’s head.

“The bells! Oh well with Hankei I don’t really need them anymore.”

The rōnin’s head was revealed to be bald and his eyes had been gouged out probably in battle several years ago. Natsumi on the other hand was now running out of arrows in her quiver and the dark wasn’t helping with her aim. She dropped her bow and pulled out two kunai one in each hand and then charged forwards in efforts to save her friend.

“Hey rōnin!” she shouted. “Here I am, face me! I will be your opponent.”

“Come, girl!” Gen called Natsumi turning his back to face her. “You’re going to let your woman fight for you while you lay on the ground…how pitiful,” he added in a tone loud enough for both of them to hear.

Natsumi was racing towards a wounded lion that had four claws on its left paw to defend itself with. The close combat then began. Natsumi was frantically attacking the rōnin with both kunai and somehow the latter could hold his own with just a single arm. He managed to defend every strike from the young kunoichi but couldn’t counter because his right hand was severely wounded. Gen may have been filled with several arrows stuck on his body, received a slash from Ken and had a useless right arm but he was still a tough nut to crack.

“Is this the best you can do kunoichi?” he asked trying to provoke her. “You fight me but your mind is with the boy right over there…and that will cost you.”

He was right, Natsumi wasn’t thinking straight. She was worried about her wounded companion and childhood friend.

“N–Natsumi…don’t m–mind me,” Ken coughed up some blood. “J–Just end t–this fucker!”

Natsumi noticed Gen lower his guard for a split second and she struck forward with a punch. The rōnin ducked and then grabbed her in a chokehold.

“Gotcha girl,” he grinned with his devilish smile and then tightened his grip.

Natsumi lowered her arms and dropped her kunai as she was gasping for air. She was so terrified she soiled herself.

“You smell that boy?” Gen sniffed the air and then cackled. “Your girl has just pissed herself in fear. Kunoichi can be such weaklings…shall I defile her while you watch?”

The rōnin faced Ken to listen for a response but the latter was in so much pain to utter another word.

“Shit I almost forgot this bitch ruined my right,” thought Gen. “What luck you have girl! I am unable to move my other hand.”

Natsumi smiled and used the last of her breath to muster enough energy to kick the rōnin aggressively on his groin.

“Yariman (You slut)!” Gen yelled out in agony and then let go of his grip.

Natsumi fell to the ground and gasped to pay up her oxygen debt. Gen was still in pain and grasping at his crotch. He tried to attack the kunoichi but before he could do anything he was stopped by a katana from behind that pierced through his chest.

“Shine (Go to hell)!” Ken’s voice was heard after he struck the rōnin. “I did say I was going to kill you, you perverted old man!”

Ken clenched his grip on his katana and shoved the blade deeper. Blood started oozing profusely from Gen’s chest and he let out another agonizing cry. He coughed up some more and turned his head.

“Nice Ken, if this were shōgi you’d move like a Black Knight,” he showed his usual grin and raised his hand. “If I am to die here I am taking you with me.”

Gen had referred to Ken by the latter’s name because he acknowledged the surprise attack as a good move. The rōnin then proceeded to punch Ken on his gut. He pierced through the young shinobi with his left claw.

“Checkmate!” exclaimed Gen.

“Kuso!” Ken groaned, coughing up some blood as well. He let go of his grip on the katana.

Gen connected a kick to Ken’s stomach and pushed him backwards. The young shinobi landed on the ground flat on his back. He laid there lifelessly with a pool of blood spreading underneath him. Natsumi was devastated. She quickly rose up and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Gen paid her no mind as she raced towards her bow. She swiftly got to it and raced back towards the rōnin making sure she kept a considerable distance from him. Natsumi saw Gen proceeding to make sure Ken had been finished off. The rōnin walked at a tortoise’s pace with a katana stuck on his back because removing it meant immediate death.

When Natsumi was directly facing the rōnin and also in the Goldilocks range, not too far nor too close to the enemy she quickly removed her shoes and with her hands on the ground carefully took aim with her legs. She stretched the bow string tout.

“Kutabare (Drop dead)!” she fired.