Katsuko Moto - j8cob

[j8cob]

The Cat Princess
13 Months into Timeskip

The two sat above the river. Katsuko and Hana were sitting on rocks overlooking a wide yet calm river, each holding a fishing pole that already had the line cast. The sun may have been beating down on this day, but a nearby tree provided them cover in the form of shade. Though they were clearly focused on trying to catch fish, the silence between them was almost awkward. While Katsuko was totally immersed, staring intently at his line, Hana seemed like something was bothering her. "Hey, Kat," she spoke up, looking up to him. The orange-haired teenager didn't take his eyes off the water. "Yeah?" "Ever since I regained my memories... you've never asked about my past..."

Now Katsuko looked back up at her. She seemed somewhat disappointed and sad. "Your past is yours, not mine. If you wanted me to know, you'd tell me. If you didn't, you wouldn't. Not only did I not want to encroach upon your territory, but I don't think our pasts matter all that much," Katsuko explained, dragging his attention back to the water. The small woman let out a sigh of relief. She should've known that would be his answer, but she had the notion that he just didn't care for some reason. "Sorry. It's just been on my mind a lot lately and I want to get it out." Katsuko chuckled a bit with those words. "If you want to tell me anything, you know I'm a good listener."

"I do, actually." For some reason, Katsuko felt like he was about to get a long, somewhat roundabout story. But despite his instincts, he turned his attention to Hana, whom was completely ignoring the line she cast by now. "Alright. Just make sure not to scare the fish." A small grin formed on her face, but it quickly disappeared. "Okay. I'm not sure how long ago everything was, because I never kept track of dates or time or anything like that. But most of this was a very long time ago..." Katsuko chuckled a bit. "Anyways... You know that I'm a cat, right?" "Nope. Never noticed." Hana reached over and smacked Katsuko on the arm, which he seemed to have not even felt.

"A long time ago, I lived as a cat. Just an ordinary cat. Nothing special. This was so long ago, I don't really remember any of it. Not that being a regular cat is exciting anyways. But one day, a nice-looking man found me in his backyard and decided to keep me. I was barely an adult at the time. Still young." "Hana. This had to have been hundreds of years ago and you're still young right now." "You know what I meant. Anyways, this was when shinobi and chakra and stuff was relatively unexplored. And this man so happened to be a shinobi. But he was a part of some research and development group, to come up with new techniques. Keep in mind: back then, animals didn't really have chakra. You didn't see anything like... Osamu running around. Animals were just like civilians, I guess."

After all that talking, Hana took a deep breath, creating a moment of silence. Then she continued. "So this guy, along with his group, were testing how to get animals to access their chakra. One day, he decided to bring me to the lab and began testing on me." Katsuko looked over at Hana with that. Though her tone held nothing sad in it, he couldn't help but feel a bit bad for her. "They explained it to me later, but they tried all sorts of science-y stuff to get regular animals to use their chakra. Up until I got there, they had never been successful. And I guess I wasn't exactly a success either... But anyways, they tested on me. Somehow along the way, they did something that made me turn into a human. They were more surprised than I was. Back then I only behaved like a regular cat and couldn't communicate. They had to teach me how to talk and even how to carry myself on two legs and whatnot. Also they didn't make me wear clothes."

Katsuko raised an eyebrow with that last statement. "They saw you as an animal. But in this society you are basically human, so you have to be decent." This earned a scoff from the small woman. "Still stupid. Back to my story... Where was I...? Oh, right. They continued doing tests on me and found that if I ran out of chakra I would turn back into a cat. So they did stuff to give me more chakra so I could do more things and have combat value. But since I was the first subject to have any progress, they didn't really know what they were doing. That was how this happened." Hana removed one of her hands from the fishing pole, using her claws to create a small cut on her other arm. After a few seconds, it began healing up before their very own eyes. "After a few more years of testing, they also noticed that I didn't age. They told me it was something about my cells regenerating kept them from mutating or whatever. But that was when they started doing tests that I didn't want to be a part of..."

Her tone had noticably changed. "They wanted to replicate the results from me on regular humans. But the tests they were doing... they hurt. I didn't like it. I wasn't very good at speech back then but I told them I wanted to leave and they wouldn't let me. They kept me for another ten years. They killed dozens of other cats trying to do what they did to me. They killed a few humans, too. But I didn't die, so they could keep using me. They'd cut me open and take tissue and do tests and start over again. I began to hate them. To hate humans. All they wanted to do was use me and hurt me... So I killed them." Hana looked away back over the water. She didn't sound proud of that statement at all. "I decided that I hated humans. And I hated the fact that I looked like one. At the time I didn't know how to transform back into a cat at my own will, so I had to flee in my human form."

"I really did hate humans, Katsuko. All I knew from them was pain. I ran into a nearby forest. I hunted birds and fish there for... a year? I don't know. It felt long but short at the same time. Then some shinobi found me while travelling through. They mistook me for a human and tried to help me like I was lost and confused. But I wasn't. One of them used some technique to cut through the bushes and I realized who they were. I didn't hesitate. Out of reflex I killed them too and fled again. Since I used my claws, people thought that they were killed by a big cat like a panther. They started a search party to find me. I killed them all too..." Hana grew silent for a moment, but Katsuko didn't dare say anything. He knew it was better to just let her have a moment.

"Rumors began to spread of a vicious giant cat. People stopped searching for me and started hunting me. I grew tired of it. Being some object of desire again. So I stole clothes from one of the people I killed and blended in as a human. Because of that, nobody ever found the alleged killer of all those people. I improved my talking and interacting so I could blend in better as a human. But after years of this, the people of the village I was at noticed that I was just as young as I was when I first appeared. They started asking questions. I had to leave. I went to another village. But this village had more shinobi in it. I had to fight the urge to lash out at them every time I saw them, because I didn't want to run all the time." Hana took another deep breath, as she had begun talking fast again. "One day, one of those shinobi got drunk and started to hit on me, thinking I was a human. And when he put his hand on my shoulder, I reflexively lashed out and cut him across the face. This caused a scene but it also made everyone think that I was some sort of shinobi myself."

She chuckled a bit with those last words. "So everyone was under the impression that I was a shinobi. I spent some more years there, but the same problem happened again. They started to notice I wasn't aging. But when I fled this time, they sent people to look for me. I panicked and attacked them in the forest. They went back to the village and told everyone I was some sort of evil monster disguised as a human, so the whole village was up in arms against me. I ran further into the forest, and that was how I found that temple. There was a bunch of old people in it and they offered me shelter. They seemed nice. But, like the last people that seemed nice, there was something more sinister about them. Once they caught news of an evil spirit in the forest, they grew suspicious of me. I don't know what their religion was but they tried to sacrifice me."

"You killed them too?" Hana paused a moment, before nodding her head. "Since they all stopped appearing in the town, the villagers checked the temple. They found me. But, since it was an easy space to defend, I stood my ground against them. They eventually gave up on trying to kill me, figuring it wasn't worth it. And that was how that temple became my home. I decided that I was going to kill all the shinobi, for all they had done. They had no idea about who I was and they didn't care. I think at this point I had to have been... fifty? No. I was seventy years old at that time. Somewhere around there." Katsuko let out a whistle, which briefly distracted Hana. Once she realized that it was just a form of exclamation, she continued with her story.

"I began preying upon shinobi that went through the forest. Since the temple was so well hidden by the invisibility thing, they could never find me. But for years, many years, I just hunted them all down. I began to learn more about what I could do. Like the chakra blades and transforming at will, as well as my speed and reflexes. I became better and better at it. I became an urban legend across the land. First I was the Forest Monster. But after someone witnessed me one day, to which I have no idea when this happened, I was called the Cat Princess. Every now and then, people would go searching for me, like to prove whether I existed or not or that it was just some clever bandits hiding out. Sometimes I killed them, sometimes I didn't. After all, since I was just considered a myth, I wanted to keep it that way to help avoid being caught."

"And it went that way for a very, very, very long time. It was just a natural cycle. But one day, a shinobi found me." Hana closed her eyes for a moment. "She was the first person to ever truly be kind to me. Naturally, I had tried to kill her at first. But she was skilled and made it hard. She talked to me, which was strange. I was trying to kill her but she was trying to use her words to calm me down rather than really fight me. So I eventually stopped and listened to her. She told me that she wanted to see if the myth was real and if it was if she could stop the killings. I told her I would never stop because of what shinobi had done to me before. She agreed it was horrible, but explained to me that what I was doing was wrong." She let out a sigh. "I didn't really agree with her, but I decided it was fair to stop killing people on sight. So she went home and I went home. Two years later, she comes back again. This time, she asks me if I want to live with her, so I can start redeeming myself."

Hana chuckled a bit. "Of course I told her no. But she was stubborn. So she stayed at my temple. It really irritated me, but I didn't kill her. I didn't feed her or anything, but she managed somehow. She just kept bothering me. For years. She was a young woman when this started, but I didn't really start warming up to her until she was an old lady. By then, the Cat Princess myth was just a bedtime story and the Hidden Villages were just appearing, I think..." Hana paused and thought about it. "I decided to have a summoning contract with this woman just to get her to leave me alone. But she had grown so accustomed to the temple, it had become her new home. So that plan failed. We lived together for a while. Then..."

"I don't know what happens next." This surprised Katsuko. "What do you mean?" Hana shook her head, bringing one hand to her forehead. "I don't remember. It's all a blur. Just... one day I woke up in the temple and she was gone and I had amnesia. But... my last memory before that had to have only been one day before. So I can't remember the last day before I lost my memories... And that is what's been bothering me, Katsuko. I can't remember how I lost my memory." Katsuko began to think about this, as it was a long story to take in. But while there was a silence between the two, the fishing pole that was loose in Hana's hands suddenly flew out of them, splashing into the water below. The woman quickly leaned forward onto her hands and knees, peering over into the water. "My fish!!"

With that display, Katsuko chuckled a bit. "You should've been paying better attention. But anyways, that is odd that you can't remember that one important detail." Katsuko brought his eyes back to the water while Hana let out a sigh. As she resigned herself and sat down again with her hands resting on her legs, she looked back at Katsuko. "So what do you think?" "What do I think about what?" She let out a sigh of irritation. "Of my past. It's probably not as you were expecting." Katsuko just shrugged. At first, this seemed to bother Hana, but then Katsuko opened his mouth.

"My opinion of you hasn't changed. Like I said: the past doesn't really matter that much. It gets you to where you are today, but it doesn't dictate who you are. That's all up to you. You've made mistakes but you're doing nothing wrong now. So it doesn't really bother me." A smile slowly formed on Hana's face. Right as she jumped closer to Katsuko, leaning up against him, a fish caught on his line. "Scratch me behind the ears, Katsukoooo." "Hold on. I got a big one." "But Katsukooooo..." "You're distracting me. Wait a minute. There's a big fish on the line." "Just bring it in then. You're strong." "I know, that's why this is weird..."

Katsuko stood up, which caused Hana to fall briefly since she was leaning against him. As she began to get back on to her hands and knees, Katsuko made a hard, upward yank. Finally, there was a massive splash and the culprit was in the air. On the end of the line was a behemoth of a fish, easily as big as a house. The river was deep and wide, but it looked like it barely fit in it. "Whoa!!" Hana let out, jumping up to her feet in a heartbeat. The giant fish seemed displeased that Katsuko yanked it out of the water, and began flopping in the air. As it opened it's mouth, it was visible that there were big, sharp teeth jutting out. As gravity took effect and it came down toward the two, it faced them with it's jaws wide open, deciding that Hana and Katsuko would make for a better meal than the worm that was originally on the hook was.

A smirk formed on Katsuko's face. "That is one ugly fish," he commented, pulling his fist back. "Don't damage it too much! Imagine all the tasty fishmeat on it..." Katsuko tossed the fishing pole down and jumped up, bringing his fist forward to meet the giant fish in the air. While Hana remained on the ground, she took in the sight like a freeze frame. The drops of water in the air with the sunlight glinting off of them. The gnarly fish coming down. And Katsuko, her master, jumping up to dispatch the beast in one strike. A smile formed on her face.

[j8cob]

Scarlet Lightning
15 Months into Timeskip

The mansion was impressive, no doubt. The last time Katsuko had been in Tani, he only saw the Daimyo's palace from the outside and only in brief. The inside met the standard one would have upon entering. Not just that everything was fancy and clean, but there were many fancy things and everything was sparkling. He didn't exactly live lower class, but Katsuko still felt a bit intimidated by the sheer difference in wealth. Wealth made power, or perhaps it was the other way around. But they were hand in hand. This was the class of the Daimyo. As the orange-haired teenager followed the maid through the expansive hall, he could hear the echo of footsteps coming from the second floor balcony that overlooked the tiled entrance.

Upon glancing up, he first saw the red-haired servant lady from last time, as she was well tall enough to be seen over the railing without standing next to it. Then the purple-haired girl popped up on the railing, leaning against it and letting her arms hang over the balcony. Sayuri Yamada, the daughter of the River Daimyo, seemed happy to see the person that once saved her life. "Katsuko-kun!" A smirk formed on his face as the girl called out to him. He was always surprised when people used honorifics like that, as his family never minded to use them. But he already figured he would be referred to like that. "Hey there," he called back to the girl, stopping the middle of the hallway.

As Sayuri backed away from the railing to make her way to the stairs, the servant lady also stopped by the railing of the balcony. "We never had a chance to really meet each other last time, but I heard a lot about you," she spoke, using a surprisingly professional tone. Katsuko shrugged his shoulders. "I can say the same about you. Sayuri had plenty to say about one 'Maki-sama' as I brought her back." At this point, the little girl made it to the bottom of the stairs. As if Katsuko had confessed a secret, she had a blush on her face. "I didn't think you would actually accept my father's invitation to dinner. I thought you would be too busy... as a shinobi." This made Katsuko chuckle, before rubbing the back of his head.

"I thought I made it clear last time. My life isn't that interesting or anything," he explained jokingly. This prompted a giggle from Sayuri, before she turned around to watch the red-haired woman descend the stairs with one hand on the banister. "Katsuko-kun, this is Maki-sama." Maki gave a polite bow as she approached, but seemed surprised when Katsuko stuck his hand out. After an awkward pause, Katsuko began to hesitate as if he made some sort of etiquette mistake by offering a handshake. But Maki eventually smiled and accepted it. "Sayuri-chan has an impressive tale that precedes you." Katsuko chuckled nervously as the little girl turned away to hide her blush. "Impressive, eh? It was nothin'."

"You seem humble. The kidnappers you dealt with may have been of low rank, but you still managed to handle them by yourself. That is an impressive feat. And I was even told that you sacrificed your hand for Sayuri-chan." Maki's last comment confused Katsuko, and he raised both hands to look at them. Then he remembered that at one point he let his right hand be stabbed through by a katana, to protect Sayuri. Upon realizing the misconception, Katsuko began to chuckle. "I think that was exaggerated. My hands are both intact and just fine. See." This brought a chuckle from the older woman, who took the moment to adjust her glasses. "I do. You have some sort of vitality to do what you did." Once again, confused as to what that meant, Katsuko just let out a nervous chuckle.

But now Sayuri decided to speak up again. "Maki-sama used to be a kunoichi when she was younger, the best in the country," she threw out there, distracting the older two from their conversation. "So you two have more things in common than I first thought." Katsuko looked down at Sayuri, before back up at Maki. "She gives me a lot of praise. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm the best," Maki politely argued, flipping some of her scarlet hair over her shoulder. "Shinobi, huh. The story I heard from the kidnapping you did manage to defend Sayuri for a length of time. But you were defeated in the end." Maki shrugged. "It was an ambush, and I was rusty. The odds were against me. But..."

The older woman rotated a bit, looking up to the balcony. Standing up there was the River Daimyo himself, Sanada Yamada. "Ah, there's the young fellow," he greeted, having a surprisingly booming voice in the large hall. Katsuko gave him a wave, a nervous grin on his face. "I said I'd return. Your invitation just gave me a good reason to," he joked. This made the esteemed man chuckle. "I want to get to know more about the man that saved my daughter. After all, you managed to not only track the kidnappers down but defeat them single-handedly. I am a curious man..." Katsuko placed both his hands behind his head now. "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I'm not a very colorful charater, nor is my past that captivating."

The River Daimyo chuckled, before motioning for the three downstairs to come up to the second floor. "The dinner will be ready soon. Come." Both Maki and Sayuri gave a polite bow, as a sign of understanding. Upon realizing he perhaps should've done the same, Katsuko tried to mimic them only he was late to doing so and seemed awkward about it. This made Sayuri giggle, though Maki simply sighed. "For all the good I heard about you, I didn't think you would be this..." She paused a moment as she tried to find the right word for it. "Improper." Though her voice sounded innocent enough, Katsuko felt that he was being a bit insulted. Perhaps a deserving and accurate one, but an insult nonetheless. "I'm sorry. Never been around royalty before. I don't know the customs about it."

Sayuri jumped up and grabbed Katsuko by his left wrist, forcing him to bring his arms down from behind his head. This caught him off guard, but as she began to pull to try and get him to follow her up the stairs, he didn't budge an inch. "Katsuko-kun... you're heavy..." she got out, still trying to drag him along. Once again, Maki let out a sigh. "Ever since you saved her, she has been more energetic and lively. But Sayuri-chan..." Upon hearing her name, the little girl stopped. "You need to be careful. If you slipped and fell, you could've broken bones again." Realizing she was right, she released Katsuko's arm. But a smirk formed on Katsuko's face. "Being lively is a good thing. Proves you're alive. Now, Sayuri. Let's go. But tone it down just a bit, like Maki said."

He turned his head to read Maki's expression. The older woman seemed slightly impressed, but skeptical. Still, the party made it's way up the stairs, with Sayuri taking the lead, from where they headed to the dining hall. Much like the grand hall, it was an expansive room that was cleaned to sparkling perfection. A long table occupied the center of it, with several fancy chandeliers hanging over it. "Whoa." "Oh, this is nothing. Just a quick, casual dinner. Nothing fancy." Katsuko let out a chuckle. "I'm glad they didn't bring out the best for me..." Maki entered the room last, watching the back of Katsuko's head as he admired the room. "No offense, Katsuko-san..." This made the teenager turn around. "You don't behave as you should. Someone in your position should be a bit more grateful. And a bit more polite, too. Not everyone gets the honor of dining with the Daimyo's family. It is understandable that you are new to this setting, but you need to adapt fast."

A sigh escaped Katsuko. Of course he would be battered for his attitude and behavior. And I thought I was being polite and grateful... He let out another sigh, before standing upright. "Any manners I should know before dinner?" he asked, not trying to hide his lack of etiquette knowledge in the least. Maki quickly adjusted her glasses and opened her mouth to speak, but Sayuri beat her to it. "There aren't that many but Maki-sama is right. You should learn them quick. Here, I'll show you." Once again, the little girl grabbed Katsuko's wrist and tried to drag him to the table. This time Katsuko actually followed her rather than stood still. But this display made Maki sigh. "His presence is making her behave more childish..."[/color] she grumbled to herself, before following the two.

After sitting Katsuko down at the table and spending a few minutes coaching him, Sayuri and Maki felt he was prepared. Or at least prepared enough. "And take that thing off while you're at the table." Maki pointed toward Katsuko's head, his Leaf headband specifically. Katsuko shook his head. "It represents my home, my village. Sorry, but I won't take it off." Maki began to grumble about him having headgear on, but Sayuri grabbed the woman by the arm. "It's fine, Maki-sama. Father won't mind it." "Won't mind what?"

The man in charge had entered the room and began to take his seat. As he did so, both Maki and Sayuri sat down, with Sayuri sitting between the already sitting Katsuko and her servant. "My headband," Katsuko answered rather casually, much to Maki's dismay. The older man just let out a hearty laugh. "It's fine, young man. I understand what loyalty means to each of us. It is important, after all." The red-haired woman seemed surprised by his response, but at the same time it wasn't surprising. She had worked with this man for thirteen years, after all. "The food won't arrive for a while, nor will the others. My wife and sons are still getting ready." "For the dinner?" This made the Daimyo laugh again. "Of course!" Katsuko looked away from the older man and stared at the table. "I'm starting to feel that perhaps I should've dressed better for this..."

This made both Sayuri and Sanada burst out laughing. While they found his remark amusing, Maki just let out a sigh. "Yes. Perhaps next time you won't dress so casually." Upon having it in words, Katsuko realized that Sayuri was wearing a dress. And even Maki was too. That didn't even register before, as he never paid much attention to clothes. A nervous chuckle escaped him as he scratched his head. "So..." There was a clear change in his tone. Now he sounded more business-like. "You're the son of Jinkama Moto." Hearing his father's name made the smile vanish from Katsuko's face. At the same time, Maki seemed surprised. Of course she had heard of Jinkama Moto. This was his son?

"Yeah... He was my father alright." Though both Sanada and Maki seemed fascinated by this, as they both had heard great stories about Jinkama, Sayuri noticed that Katsuko suddenly seemed sad. "He was a great man. I never had the opportunity to meet him myself, but I have heard many things." Katsuko nodded, somewhat absent-mindedly. "Yeah. He did many things. It is more difficult to find people that haven't heard of him than those that have." At this point, Sayuri couldn't help but speak up. "Something wrong, Katsuko-kun?" Now both Maki and Sanada realized the mood change in Katsuko. "Nah. I'm fine." A grin came back to his face. "No need to worry about me."

Seeing his confidence had suddenly returned, Sanada decided to continue learning about Katsuko. "With that in mind... I imagine you've got some accomplishments under your belt yourself, right?" Katsuko was tempted to lean back in his chair, but that was something he was instructed not to do. "Well... during the civil war incident a year or two back, my squad and I held off an entire army. And I guess... during the battle of the Hon Estate just a year ago, my squad and I also kicked some... butt. But for personal accomplishments..." Katsuko shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly can't think of any interesting ones. I guess I've fought a lot of powerful foes and people regard me as strong, which I am of course. But I don't have many deeds to go with that. Told you I wasn't very interesting."

A smirk formed on Sanada's face. "I see. But still, you are clearly something. You were enough to inspire Maki Watanabe to shake the rust off." Upon hearing her name suddenly, Maki snapped to attention. Katsuko let out a chuckle. "I think I had little to do with that. All shinobi strive to improve themselves. And after that kidnapping, I guess she decided to do that. Nothing about me in that." A chuckle escaped Sanada. "For an uneducated fellow, you seem surprisingly smart." "Thanks... I think..." "But it wasn't just the kidnapping that inspired her."

A silence took the room as Sanada paused. "The very reason I had hired Maki in the first place was to protect my family. You, an outsider, managed to outdo her at her own job." Katsuko chuckled nervously, as he felt this was a bit awkward to talk about with Maki sitting right there. But the servant said nothing, and her expression seemed to hold no signs of embarassment or irritation. "She may not look like it, but Maki-san is the most powerful shinobi in the entire River Country. That is why I hired her." This thought was more interesting, and Katsuko looked over at the red-haired woman. "That's an accomplishment." Maki let out a chuckle. "And an outdated one, I'm afraid. That was a decade ago, Sanada-sama. I doubt I hold up to the title anymore."

A chuckle escaped the Daimyo. "You didn't a few months ago. But after that whole incident, I've seen how you've sharpened your skills again." A blush formed on the woman's face as she looked down at the table. Sayuri seemed surprised by this. "Maki-sama is strong, too?" The woman put a hand on Sayuri's shoulder. "No, no. Just strong enough to keep protecting you. I just don't want to ever fail again." Katsuko grinned, before leaning back in his chair. "As long as you believe in yourself, you never will. To be honest, I had a stereotype in my head that royal families weren't that close..." With all attention now on him, Katsuko took a pause to show off a smirk. "But you guys have changed my mind. You're all clearly family."

A wide smile formed on Sayuri's face and a grin on Sanada's. But Maki had a frown. "What did we say about leaning back in the chairs?" Upon realizing his mistake, Katsuko quickly righted himself and gave an apologetic look. This made the Daimyo laugh again. "I like this boy. It's been a long time since I've met someone as genuine as him. He isn't afraid to speak his mind. I like that." The way the Daimyo kept talking about him made Katsuko feel embarassed. Perhaps this man was just the type to exaggerate, and since he was grateful that Katsuko saved Sayuri he behaves as he does now? Before Katsuko could think about it much longer, Sanada continued talking. "As you are aware, our countries are allied."

"Since we are a part of the Fire Union, we are as endebted to you as you are to us. We are all friends here." The teenager had to wonder where he was going with this. "So I think it wouldn't be out of place of me to ask for a demonstration of the ability that saved my daughter. After all, it is my right to know what Konoha shinobi are capable of." A grin formed on Katsuko's face. "A demonstration, you say?" Sayuri clapped her hands together. "Oh! I want to see too." Since Maki was the only one yet to respond, Katsuko looked over at her. She seemed to not particularly care. "Well, I guess I can oblige you. Not sure how you want me to demonstrate anything. I really don't want to break anything here."

The older man waved his hand through the air. "Of course not in here. There are plenty of locations to choose from within the city. After the dinner, we will all go to the arena to see what you can do," he further explained. Katsuko chuckled a bit, before crossing his arms. A position that showed off his muscles quite well. "Well, I'm not sure what you'd want me to really do. Just look as awesome as possible?" As Sanada brought a hand to his chin to think about it, Maki spoke up. "I can spar with him, sir."

This surprised both Katsuko and Sayuri, but Sanada was quick to react. "No no no. No need for that. I don't want to hospitalize the boy. Just see what he can do." His response shocked Katsuko even more, and he couldn't resist letting out a scoff. This earned a glare from Maki. "Hospitalize me? I'm a bit of a tough nut to crack." Sanada gulped back some saliva. "You don't understand, Katsuko Moto. You may think Maki is weak for being defeated by the same foes you destroyed, but she is far from it. No offense to you, my boy. But there is a reason I hired the infamous kunoichi, Scarlet." Katsuko chuckled to himself. "This sounds like a challenge, sir. If she wants to fight me, I can't help but accept the challenge. Especially after that introduction you just gave her."

Sanada looked at Maki, who gave him a nod. "Do not worry, sir. I just want to test myself as well, to make sure that I am back up to speed." Sanada contemplated it a moment longer, before letting out a sigh. "I guess it would be dishonorable of me to get between a genuine challenge between shinobi. But Maki-san..." He glanced over at Katsuko, then at Sayuri, before looking back at the red-haired woman. "Do be careful." She closed her eyes and gave a polite nod, prompting Sanada to let out a sigh of relief. They are going on like this will be one-sided. I'm not sure if it's that they underestimate me or overestimate her...

---

The evening sun cast an orange glare across the sky. The city of Tani, the capital of the River Country, had mostly settled down for the coming night. But there was life at the arena. Built long ago for combat, the arena had largely changed to be host to many sorts of events over the years. But now, it was serving its original purpose. The stands around the large dirt ring were filled with spectators. After all, hearing the Daimyo announce that the country's strongest shinobi was participating in a fight got their attention. Even if her opponent was some no-name outsider. Among the crowd, standing as close as the viewing area allowed, was the Daimyo and his family. Though they were all still dressed formally, it could be noted that Sayuri and her mother were no longer wearing dresses.

Down in the arena stood the two competitors. Maki Watanabe and Katsuko Moto. The older woman also no longer wore a dress, instead wearing a black sweater with the sleeves rolled up matched with a black skirt and boots. Katsuko, standing a good twenty meters across from her, was wearing mostly the same clothes as before, minus any clothes on his upper body, thus revealing his incredibly muscular form. "You must be something," Katsuko commented, just loud enough for only Maki to hear. "All these people are here to see you." A smirk danced on her lips briefly before her serious expression returned. "People are easily entertained." With that, Maki stretched one of her hands toward the sky.

The crowd let out a surprising uproar as her arm slowly rotated around, almost like a clockhand. As she did that, her left leg slowly sweeped out to her side. Maki was slowly and dramatically getting into her fighting stance. A smirk formed on Katsuko's face. "I didn't think you were one for flair," he mumbled, before bringing his fists up and getting into a fighting stance of his own. Now that they were ready, Sanada, still in the viewing area, raised his right hand. "Is Maki-sama really that strong, papa?" Sayuri asked her father, resting against the railing as she watched the two.

The River Daimyo sighed. "It's been a long time, but she's freshened up a bit. She might not be at full power now, but from what I remember that is a good thing." Sayuri looked up at her father confused, before the man thrust his hand forward. A loud gong resounded through the arena, loud enough to overpower the cheering. As soon as he heard it, Katsuko shot forward with his renowned speed. But he hardly made it a few steps before he paused in surprise.

Her foot slammed against his face. As Katsuko was lifted off the ground and flung to the side by the blow, he had a confused expression. How the...? He recovered in mid-air and landed on his hands and feet, sliding to a halt. But as soon as he touched down, the red-haired woman had dashed in again. How is she so- He brought his arms up to block the incoming attack, but rather than being struck in the face, Maki planted her fist in his solar plexus. Before he could even fully register that he had been hit, red lightning began to crack through the air. That was the only warning he got.

A powerful jet of red lightning began to burst from Maki's fist, empowering her punch. A blow that was originally only mildly bothersome now actually had some effect. The crowd let out a roar at the dazzling light show, as well as the fact that her opponent was now sent skyward with a trail of red lightning sparks. Almost like a human firework. As Katsuko regained his ability to breathe and gravity began to bring him back down to the earth, he prepared himself for a tough fight. This woman is something. He brought his fists together and raised them over his head as he let out a loud shout.

Upon reaching the ground, he slammed downwards at Maki. Though the woman dodged backwards effortlessly, his fists struck the ground. The sheer power behind the blow kicked up a gust that rocked the arena and dust scattered everywhere. Maki flew otu of the dust, before landing on her feet and sliding to a halt. As the cloud cleared up, there was a massive crater underneath Katsuko's fists. "Whoa!" Sayuri let out. "They're both so strong!" The orange-haired teenager stood up to full height, bringing his fists up again as Maki adjusted her glasses.

"That is indeed impressive," Sanada noted as the two charged at each other again. "But still..." As Maki drew close, red lightning began to coat her hands and bolts of it cracked through the air around them. The teenager stopped just before reaching his foe, letting out a punch at the air between them. In the blink of an eye, the older woman dodged the attack. And on the other side of the arena, in the direction Katsuko had punched, a crater was smashed into the stone wall. But that power was for naught. Maki brought her fist up into Katsuko's midsection, letting the lightning course through him for a brief moment. But as he tried to counter by bringing his elbow down on her arm to shatter it, she had already withdrawn it and struck again with her other arm.

This time, Katsuko didn't even have the time to react. She hit him again. And again. And again. Her arms were a red blur as she began to pummel her larger opponent. His arms couldn't make any blocks and her speed allowed no dodging. As he was getting battered, he was also losing ground. The crowd was going wild as Maki perpetually hit Katsuko. This power... Katsuko tried to get out a kick to trip her, but the woman jumped up and instead kneed him in the chin. I've only ever felt this kind of power... A smirk formed on Katsuko's face. He gave up trying to block now and moved forward, leaning into Maki's strikes.

But the woman saw what he was about to do. Before Katsuko could catch her in a grapple, something typically unavoidable from their range and his speed, Maki did something else to further surprise him. Her entire body turned into red lightning, which arced between his arms, over his right shoulder, and reformed itself behind him. All in the blink of an eye. Katsuko could feel time going slowly as he turned his head in an attempt to follow the red lightning. From the corner of his eye, he could see Maki bringing her hand across in an open palm strike toward the back of his neck.

A burst of red lightning blasted from Katsuko's neck as he fell to the ground. Sayuri let out a gasp, while the crowd let out an uproar. What the... my body... Katsuko tried to pick himself up off the ground, but found that his commands weren't working correctly. Like his nerves were all rewired. Trying to move his finger made his eyebrow twitch or some other random connection. As he struggled on the ground, Maki stood up straight and adjusted her glasses. "I've had my fun. It was a good match, Katsuko. But-" "It ain't over!" Suddenly one of his hands struck the ground. Maki looked surprised. He was slowly getting his body to work properly again. There's no way he could have figured it out so fast. He isn't even close to intelligent enough. As he began to struggle to get control of the rest of his body, Maki let out a sigh.

She held both her hands up over her head. Red lightning began arcing between them. In fact, they continued to grow in intensity and brightness as she held her hands there. The crowd began to get even louder as the intensity of her electricity grew. As Katsuko finally got his fingers working and tried to get a grip on the dirt, Maki stepped over to him and put her highly electrified hands on his back. He let out a grunt of pain as the lightning began coursing through his body again. But Maki didn't seem hardly done. Rather, she used her chakra control and the lightning to get a grip on Katsuko. While still holding his back and electrocuting him, Maki began running forward, dragging Katsuko facefirst through the dirt. As she picked up speed, lightning began to entirely surround both her and Katsuko, growing to incredible intensity.

As she reached the center of the arena, Maki jumped into the air, bringing Katsuko with her. The orange-haired teenager felt helpless. He was in pain and couldn't even move to defend himself. But as they were at the apex of the leap, Maki spun around, swinging Katsuko in a wide arc. Before aiming him headfirst at the ground. As the two began to rocket toward the ground, leaving a trail of red lightning through the air, Maki let out a shout of effort. "Hyaaaaa!!" A look of dread was on Katsuko's face as it impacted the ground.

An explosion of dust and red lightning covered the entire arena, kicking up a gale that sent loose hats and papers flying around the stands. Sayuri's face was a look of total shock, though her father seemed far less surprised. His arms were crossed over his chest, even. But as the dust cleared, Maki stood tall, dusting off her shoulders. While Katsuko lay on the ground face-down and unmoving, with the occasional arc of red lightning popping off his body from the residual electricity. There was a moment of silence in the crowd, before they let out a loud roar. The older woman began to casually walk away from the teenager, a small smile barely visible on her lips. "Wow..." escaped Sayuri as she watched.

"Where do you think you're going?" Upon hearing his voice, Maki stopped and turned around. Since the crowd couldn't hear him, they saw Maki turn to face him and immediately silenced themselves. Though he was still face down on the ground, it was evident that Katsuko was moving now. His right arm struggled for a moment, before planting itself and allowing him to push up a little. Now their eyes met, and Maki was surprised by the fierce determination in his eyes. His eyes had no defeat in them, though his body suggested otherwise. "The fight isn't... over." With the silence, everyone was able to hear that. Maki simply watched in awe as Katsuko got his other hand down, enabling him to push himself up onto his knees. And from there, back onto his feet.

He looked battered. There were burns, bruises and dirt all over his body. But still, he put his fists up in a fighting stance again. This seemed to greatly impress the River Daimyo. "That boy..." he let out, just loud enough for Sayuri to hear him. "Is a lot stronger than I thought." Maki watched him for a moment, still not asserting a fighting stance of her own. "It'll take a bit more than that to put me down for the count." Now there was a wide grin on his face. The crowd was unsure whether or not they should be impressed by this. For what they knew, he should've been totally crippled by her last attack. But here he was, not only standing but rearing to go. A small grin formed on Maki's face. "I'm impressed," she began, now turning to entirely face Katsuko. "But now your mouth is writing a check your body can't cash."

Rather than respond, Katsuko dashed forward again. Despite how severely injured he was, he still moved with incredible speed. But visibly slower than before. His fist passed by Maki as she effortlessly dodged in a sideways lean. However, due to their difference in speed and his compromised position, Maki brought her left elbow down straight into Katsuko's neck. The force of the blow slammed Katsuko downward, to knock him out and end the fight. But as Katsuko fell, seemingly defeated, he suddenly spun around and brought his other fist up.

Everyone in the arena was shocked. But no one more so than Maki herself. As his fist met her chin, she was lifted off the ground and into the air a dozen meters. Though Katsuko crashed into the ground before she even made the apex of her flight, a smirk formed on his face. "He..." "Managed to hit her." Though Maki seemed to have been knocked out by the blow, she recovered in the air just before landing on all four limbs. Her first instinct was to wipe her chin. Clearly the power of that blow hurt. But as she stood back up, Katsuko remained on the ground. "That boy managed to hit Scarlet." Sayuri looked on in awe as Maki tried to decide what to do next. Did she need to hit him again to make sure he stayed down?

Once again, Katsuko began to move. Only this time, Maki approached him before he could get up and put her foot on his back, pinning him to the ground. "Just admit defeat already, sheesh. This isn't a life-or-death struggle here. It won't kill you to accept it," Maki began lecturing. But a chuckle escaped Katsuko as he continued trying to get up. "I know this isn't a serious battle... You should see me when I am taking it seriously." Maki was surprised by his words, but still pressed down on him to keep him on the ground. "So be it."

---

Slowly, Katsuko opened his eyes and sat up. The first thing he realized was that he was in some sort of infirmary, with the Daimyo's family and a medic around him. Then he realized Maki was also in the room. "Katsuko-kun!" Sayuri greeted as he woke up. Rubbing his head, Katsuko let out a grunt of pain. "How long was I out?" he asked, to no one in particular. This one was answered by the Daimyo. "Only a few minutes, surprisingly." "You need to lay down." Katsuko chuckled at her words, before giving her a pat on the head.

This surprised the entire family, almost as if it was taboo to touch Sayuri. But the girl was unharmed. With that, Katsuko spun around and put his feet on the ground, before slowly getting to his feet. Maki, who was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room, looked more impressed than anyone else. "Boy, you need to rest after that," the Daimyo suggested, but Katsuko shook his head and began to stretch. "It's fine, sir. I got enough rest. But wow..." Katsuko looked over at Maki now. "You sure kicked my ass." She didn't immediately respond, as she just evaluated his condition first. "I think I went a little overboard. I apologize."

"It's fine. I had fun." This shocked her just as much as the grin on his face. With that, Katsuko looked over at Sayuri. "You're in good hands, Sayuri." A smile formed on the girl's face, and a smirk on Maki's. "I hope this won't cause any problems with your administration," the Daimyo began, like this was some sort of business fiasco. Katsuko just waved his hand. "This was no problem. The Hokage won't care about a little spar. Not like I left a bad impression of Konoha anyways. If anything, I demonstrated the Will of Fire." By now, Katsuko had finished stretching and stood upright. "Next time, though, I'll win for sure."

The Daimyo's family seemed shocked by his confidence, but Maki was entirely unsurprised. A smile was even visible on her face. "You have a long way to go, kid," she began, using her lecturing tone. "You've got skill, but not enough." Taking it like a taunt, Katsuko faced her with a grin. "Don't you worry about me. If I were you, I'd stay sharp." Maki raised an eyebrow now. "Because if this is the best you can do, then it won't even be a challenge next time." With his taunt, the River Daimyo chuckled. "I think that's enough talk of fighting for now..."