>>5808768You didn’t like hurting people, not technically. You did like instructing them. Words could fail you, even if you took effort to make sure your meaning was clinical and obvious. A fist smashing into their stomach would make itself understood. If someone invited you to make them understand, you would be understood in the most direct, certain way you were capable of.
You smile, despite yourself. In quiet moments like this, perhaps you thought like Otomo did. It pleased you to realize that there was shared humanity between you. You look at him again. Dazed. Oblivious. Staring at his orb. Borderline unconscious, like usual. No doubt riding some mental flume.
You smile wider, anticipating how much goofier you could make him when he was fed alcohol and intoxicated. It was going to be fun.
Hotaru looks at you with her peripheral vision. You sense it. You allow her to notice the character of your eyes before your head turns forward and you wipe the emotion out of your frame.
You’re passing into a small hamlet now. Timbers imported from nearby forest. Whitewashed walls. Power lines. An inn. A small general store. Little houses. Three armed men drinking sake at a table in front of the inn. Loudly guffawing and talking about how they wanted to have sexual relations with the innkeeper’s daughter. They looked like thugs and you notice none of the villagers are coming too close to them. You already wanted to instruct them. You maintain a relaxed and carefree posture, but you allow them to notice you’re looking at them. Your way of daring them to do anything about it.
One of them takes your invitation. If Hotaru didn’t stop you, he was already in the hospital and just didn’t know it yet.
“Look boys!” Says the leader. “A gaggle of genin! Fresh ones too! On a cute little mission it looks like! Where are you going, grandma’s house?”
The men laugh. Mercenary types. Legal. Disrespectful.
Kenji smiles. A mistake, but a welcome one. It would allow the men to make additional errors in judgment. Soon they would give you a reason.
“Actually, yes! These fine ninja are escorting me to-” The men cut off Kenji with a bark of laughter.
“You’re wasting your money, dipshit! We would have taken you there for a third of the price and ten times the value if you knew any better! You paid good money, and for what? A bunch of fucking kids!” More laughter. He keeps speaking, continuing to increase the intensity of the agonizing pain he’s soon going to be in. “Ninja are a fucking scam, man. Gay little parlor tricks from kids don’t make the difference in real combat between experienced fighters!”
