>>5224388"Well, well. Looks like you guys are having a fun time out here." An unexpectedly familiar voice. "Mind if I crash the party?"
One of the lumberjacks turns around to address the speaker, only to reel backwards from the sudden, heavy impact of a fist to the face. A low, sweeping kick while he's already off balance knocks him down.
"What the fuck?" "This fucking prick!" Two more men run in, coming in from either side, each swinging a fist at the same time. Their attacks are back-stepped, and the momentum of their missed swings is used to slam their faces together. Not skull-to-skull, which could be lethal; just enough so those two will look seriously ugly for a few days. Even uglier than usual.
"Hey, now, is that any way to treat a guest in your country?" Jack says. "I thought you guys up north were supposed to be nice."
You look at the last lumberjack standing, see the fear in his weak knees, turn to face him. "Well? Care to avenge your buddies here?" You gesture at the men lying on the ground. "If not, you better turn around and run. Now," you say, emphasizing the last word. The man backs up, almost tripping over his own feet, then turns and runs for the hills.
"I could have handled that myself," you say.
"Should have handled it faster, then," Jack says with a grin. "You snooze, you lose."
"You asshole." You walk towards Jack, ignoring the groaning lumberjacks. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Looking for you. It's been a while. Good to see you, dickhead." He extends his hand to shake.
You firmly clasp his hand and shake it, finding yourself smiling despite yourself. "How did you even find me out here?"
"It was a little tough, but I talked to Ayame, and that gave me a starting point. That and, I'm not sure if you're noticed, but you kind of stand out around here. Once I got the right neighborhood, it wasn't too hard to track you down." Jack points a thumb back towards the bar. "Here, I'm thirsty. Let's grab a drink while we talk."
The bartender smiles when he sees you walk back up to the bar. "I had a feeling you'd be the one coming back. Those boys shouldn't have messed with a ninja, eh?"
You solemnly nod. "Seems like all that one-handed bear fighting was worth it."
Jack looks puzzled, but moves on, ordering a beer for each of you. Once his arrives, he drains half of it in one long drink. "Aaahh, that hits the spot. Been on the road a while now, straight up from California. Guess you were surprised to see me."
"A little, yeah. Not that surprised, though. You showing up someplace unpredictable I'd never expect to find you, when I think about it, is pretty normal."
>So why are you looking for me?>What kinds of trouble have you been getting into?>How's your teacher doing these days? 
