35 Chapter 35 : The Butcher of Blaviken

This will be fun. Esketit.

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While Kenji escaped in a remote village, Sasuke and Aya found solace in a moderately sized town. The reason was, that place was infamous for sword battles, theft, prostitution, anything dastardly you could think of happened in that place. Aya wouldn't dare be in the middle of that at first, so she and Sasuke camped out on the outskirts most nights. They found shelter when it rained though. Through the first few weeks, Sasuke didn't know how to interact with Aya. She obviously reminded him of his own mother. Aya knew his trials through the gracious Hokage. So, she decided right there. Would it hurt to take on another Uchiha boy? No it wouldn't.

Aya was a training fiend. Once she got into it, she didn't stop. Sasuke finally realized why Kenji's strikes were so profound. Any and every little detail involved in Aya's style was drilled into Sasuke's head. And along the way, Aya managed to loosen the grip of anguish on his heart. It definitely wasn't gone, but Sasuke appreciated what Aya wanted to do. She treated him almost exactly like his own mother.

Aya even drilled Sasuke down to push ups and how he should sleep at night. The training took a lot out of the boy, but if Kenji went through this, there's no way he could lose to him, so Sasuke endured. Eventually, Aya presented him his own real sword, bought from a respectable blacksmith in the town. When Aya went into the hellhole, many men tried to have their way with her. They stopped when she easily almost sliced the manhood off someone. The sword looked straight, almost square. The blade seemed a starling silver. Sasuke loved it. Before he could try it out, Aya tapped his shoulder.

"So....I may or may not have signed you up for the tournament coming up in a few weeks." Aya smiled.

"A tournament?"

"Yes, it has prize money, and I want you to get real, hands on experience, unless you're too scared of course." Aya eyed him with cockiness.

Sasuke held his chest out with his eyes closed. "An Uchiha is never afraid."

Aya had it all figured out. It was something about Uchiha boys. If you tried to insult their pride, you could get them into anything.

Aya refocused. "Okay, but this tournament is a little different than the rest. First of all, you'll have a teammate. And you won't know them, so you need to be ready."

"I can't team with you?" Sasuke asked.

"Hah, I wish. But it's a random process. And this is a fight to the death. Can you handle that?" Aya was in all seriousness.

He nodded.

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Two weeks of polishing went by. Aya gave Sasuke some pointers that Kenji had told her. Tips about using the sword with the sharingan in certain situations. Sasuke knew he'd HAVE to train with Kenji when he got back. Just the most subtle changes, Kenji was able to differentiate with his eyes, to give a better advantage. If foot placement was tense, he'd notice the three millimeters that he had moved it from his last attempt. Any small changes could make a difference. Aya was worried about Sasuke, since he'd only taken up the sword a few months ago, but he grabbed everything quickly, and patiently. Like a professional learner. So, she wasn't too worried. She just hoped no one crazy was his opponent. Sasuke took the day before the tournament lightly. Resting for the moment. When the day came, Aya followed him to the arena. She sat in the stands. Every person within ten feet of her vacated the stands in fear. She smiled. Maybe she was a little harsh around here? Nah. Sasuke took a walk to the middle of the stadium. Thousands of screaming drunk idiots filled his ears. An extremely body pierced man walked to the front.

"WELCOME TO THE ARENA YOU BASTARDS!!"

The place became so loud, some challengers covered their ears.

Everyone calmed down, in anticipation for the event.

The scary looking guy continued. "THIS IS AN ALL OUT SWORD FIGHT! YOU AND YOUR TEAMMATE WILL FACE TWO ON TWO COMBAT. THE WINNER WILL ADVANCE. THE LOSER IS DISQUALIFIED. WIN THREE FIGHTS AND YOU WILL FACE THE CHAMPIONS. EACH OF YOU WILL NOW BE GIVEN A ROOM NUMBER WHERE YOU'LL MEET UP WITH YOUR PARTNER. WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE FIRST MATCH MOMENTARILY! REMEMBER, NOTHING BUT SWORDS! DON'T DIE YOU BASTARDS!!!"

Yelling continued. Everyone formed a civilized line, grabbing a piece of paper and heading into the side of the Colosseum. Which had countless rooms, to house everyone. Sasuke moved into a room that read B-3. No one was there, so he waited patiently with his sword tucked behind his waist.

A few minutes later, a voice that sounded hundred of years old, said, "So, My partner's a kid." Sasuke met the eyes of his partner. He was a little scary at first. The man that entered was tall with a white beard and tied back long hair. Two swords on his back. He had yellow, golden slits as eyes. A nasty looking scar around his left eye.

Sasuke took the liberty of introduction. "I'm Sasuke, Ninja of the Hidden Leaf." He decided to be truthful with his partner. Ninja were frowned upon in this town, so Sasuke never wore his headband.

"I'm not sure what that means, but ok. Let's just come up with a strategy." The man reminded Sasuke of Kenji with the no emotion thing and all.

"Oh, I'm Geralt of Rivia."

Sasuke asked, "Um...Where is Rivia?"

Geralt stood there, staring. "I don't really remember."

Sasuke was confused, but this man looked as experienced as it would get. "Alright Geralt. Lets win this thing." Sasuke let out a devilish smile.

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