A Foreign Offer - Side Story

And Raphael was right, Kai was quick to abandon the notion of two hands on his weapon, using his spiked shoulder guard and metal gauntlet to block blows as they came in. Raphael had complete control of the flow of battle and the pacing. He was forcing Kai to become completely defensive, using his weapon more like a shield.

However as opposed to being worried, it seemed like Kai was having the time of his life, he was a Kenjutsu expert and a vastly superior swordsman had him on the ropes, even his footwork which Kai prided himself on was turned against him by the man. This wasn't just a match it was an educational moment for him, as sparks flew and the two men were awash in furious movement.

At just the right moment Kai would step into the man's attack Blocking one sword on his right arm, one in the cross guard of his Fuuinken and the third in the spikes on his shoulder. This was the moment of Kai's counter attack was a piece of steel only an inch long, blown out of his mouth at point blank at the eye of Raphael.

Raphael finally felt like he might have had an edge. The move was still in early stages, and Raphael's chakra manipulation was still nowhere near perfect. As far as Raphael was aware, this wasn't a fighting style that most used. While the sword techniques and style of weapons had been different, Raphael still noticed that the shinobi had a similar mindset to swordplay. He was hoping this style could help him achieve a victory against Kai.

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

"AH!" Raphael shouted as the steel pin shot right in to his eye. Raphael was good, but he was too close to have expected and react to something like that. The disruption of the attack caused his third sword to drop from the air as Raphael backed up. The pain was dull but it was strong, as the eye was such a sensitive part of the body. Raphael tried to close his injured eye while keeping his other eye open, wanting to see what Kai would follow up with now that Raphael's move was disturbed.

Kai stepped back and sealed his weapon back into the tatoo in the palm of his hand raising his hands up into the air to show Raphael his palms. "I surrender, I'm obviously no match for you with a sword." He would cock his head a little bit to the left as if trying to get a better look at Raph's right eye. "The depth of your skills is amazing and the way you handle them is quite surprising." He would step forward and drop his hands limply to his sides, "I don't mean to toot my own horn but, for a shinobi I'm quite skilled in Kenjutsu. I would say sword-to-sword you'd take me ten-for-ten." That was quite a complement coming from Kai.

"Ah right, I've yet to introduce myself, My name is Uzumaki Kai. I'm an administrator for Honegakure no Sato. I'm also the head of the Jounin Association. I believe you'd be an asset to our ranks. I'm not in charge of chosing the level of our applicants, but I believe you could be vetted at Jounin or Specialist Jounin rank right away."

Raphael watched as Kai seemed to give up the fight. With the battle being declared over, Raphael had no problem sealing his weapons away. He didn't respond to Kai right away as he yanked the metal pin our of his eye. Thankfully it hadn't been sharp enough to cause any permanent damage, but Raphael would at least be squinting for the rest of the day.

"Perhaps on pure kenjutsu I could beat you, but I've been around shinobi long enough to know when someone's holding back. You let me prepare every attack instead of taking every advantage you could....I still appreciate the compliment" Raphael said as he stood up and kept his one eye shut.

"This Jounin Association, you really think that there are shinobi that would want to work with a foreigner? Most shinobi I work with don't seem to think I belong among your ranks"

Raphael was right in every statement he made.

Except the last one. "Hone is a melding pot of all types of people, sometimes even those who'd faced each other on the battlefield. I think you'd be welcomed addition to the village, so long as you could swear allegiance to Saizuki-san the village's leader. I doubt she'll ask too much of you given your circumstances, however I think she'll have a much higher respect for your skills as a swordsman. As far as what I think, I wouldn't be making the offer if I didn't think you had what it takes."

"I wish I could but..." Raphael began before looking away. "My loyalty, home, and heart belong elsewhere. In truth I don't even know how long I'll be remaining with the village" he spoke honestly to Kai. Raphael had known that his stay in Hone would be a short one over all, though he was still a long way from accomplishing his goal. "I swore to Setsuna that I'd help for as long as I was here, but I have my own plans to see through"

"I don't think Setsuna would ask you to betray your country or to remain a part of ours indefinitely. She would simply ask that you not betray us, do a few missions, teach a few people, and use Hone as the base of operations in your quest." Kai countered, he figured that the man was already, "The resources in Hone would become more available to you, if you became a Jounin."

Raphael scratched his chin in thought. Having more resources available to him would allow him to do more research on the beast he needed to slay, while also gaining a reputation for himself. Perhaps if he became better known he'd be more likely to find shinobi that would help train him in combat. How else would Raphael ever slay a bijuu?

Having finally decided, Raphael extended his arm and shook Kai's hand. "Consider it done"