Ninja Love: Saizo Kirigakure

Chapter 10

The smell of boiling stew pulled me from the blackness. I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my fuzzy vision.

"Anemia." Saizo's soft voice broke through the fog of my brain. I looked around and saw it was late afternoon. I must have been out for quite a while.

"What?"

"Anemia. Its what made you pass out." He turned back towards the stew and chuckled. "It appears I was wrong. You don't have such a small chest after all."

I gasped, abhorred by the thought of Saizo seeing me naked, but found it to be true. I remember passing out in a towel, and yet, here I was, back in my rather clean smelling kimono.

I blushed furiously and groaned. "Now I'll never be able to get married." I buried my head in my hands, thinking about how this never would have happened if I had been stronger.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure Sasuke will still accept you. Even though he's not the smartest, he's still a nice guy." I can't tell if Master Saizo is teasing me or not. Even if he was facing me, I'm still not sure I could read him. He is an odd one. At times, he can be nice and caring, but he is mostly distant and curt. He says things that could surely hurt someone's feelings.

"You should rest, Princess, but first, eat a little." He hands me a bowl of stew that I quickly devour before dropping off to sleep.

---

Thud. Thud. Thud.

My eyes shot open, thinking there was someone coming. I quickly looked around. It was near sunset, and the red sky shone through the dense trees. It was then that I noticed Saizo throwing shurikens at a tree. I sighed, and continued to watch him.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

He had drawn a target on the tree with the end of a burnt stick. He stood about forty feet away from it, yet his accuracy was still amazing. His face was drawn up in concentration, and his muscles rippled every time he threw a shuriken.

It was a while before he noticed that I had woken up, and he made his way over to me.

"How do you feel?" He looked intently down at me.

I brushed my hair out of my face and replied "I feel much better now, thanks to you." He kept his face expressionless. "You were practicing shuriken?"

"Yes. It is important for a ninja to maintain a variety of skills." He suddenly whirled around and flicked his wrist. Thud. The shuriken hit the target dead center.

I smiled. "Do you think I could try?" I gave Saizo my best puppy dog face as I stood up to brush the dirt off my kimono. However, it did not appear that Saizo shared my enthusiasm.

"Well... Only for a little bit. You're still weak and we also have your anemia to worry about." His vibrant eyes clouded over, and he crossed his arms.

“Great!” I stood a little ways from the target and positioned myself, while Saizo gave me instructions.

Aim for the middle. Don't move your elbow. Flick your wrist. Concentrate on the center.

I threw one. Miss. I threw again. Miss. I looked back at Saizo, who encouraged me to keep trying. By my thirteenth miss, I was ready to give up.

I was just about to sit down, when I heard Saizo walk up behind me. Before I could turn around, he was up against me, holding my wrists. My face flushed while possible scenarios ran through my head.

"Hold your arm back, like this." He moved my arm a little farther back, which ended in me pressed up against him. I could feel his hard muscles against my back, and I blushed furiously.

"Put your feet here." He guided my legs into a stance, and gently released me. "Now, concentrate on the center of the target and take a deep breath."

I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes. I flicked my wrist and... Thunk.

"Bullseye!" I jumped in the air, ecstatic at my success. As I spun around, my gaze connected with Saizo's, and I saw the twinkle of amusement I had come to cherish on the rare occasions it showed itself. I figured it was as close to a compliment as I would get.

When I finished my mini celebration, Saizo came over to me. "I suppose it is a good thing to get you a head start on your ninja training. As soon as we get to Iga, you will choose your weapon and begin the real journey of a female ninja. Until then, you sould rest."

"Wait! Can't I practice just a little bit longer? If I'm not proficient at shuriken, then how will I be able to defend myself?" I tried to reason with Saizo to make him let me practice a bit more.

"You don't need to defend yourself. That's what I'm here for." he gave me another exasperated look before turning around.

"But I don't want anyone to die for me! I know everyone has sworn their allegiance, but I have no intention of putting anyone in danger." I took a deep breath, trying to calm my strong emotions. I had no desire to make anyone share the fate of my parents. "That's why... In order to protect myself, I need to train as much as I can." I looked Saizo straight in the eyes.

He turned towards me, a twinkle in his eye. What did I just get myself into?

"Alright. But first, I'll have to teach you some hand-to-hand combat skills."