To Slice The Wind

Nozoru

An uneasy feeling prodded through Genjiro's chest. Standing behind a shabby, wooden door, he could already sense the bloodlust shrouding from the opposite side of it. It couldn't possibly be from a single individual, it came from multiple trained swordsmen that were thirsty for blood. His blood. Resting his callused palm of his right hand on the surface of his sword's snowy white handle, Genjiro was in a position to slice anyone that proved to be a threat to him. However, he maintained a casual posture as to not provoke whoever that were to open the door. He knocked the rickety door twice, still maintaining his rigid stance.

Almost instantly, someone pulled the door fully open. It shifted slowly, creaking on its every movement. Towering over Genjiro, was a fully-bearded man, his physique, even when it was hidden behind his oversized green kimono, had reflected an ox-like bulkiness to it. He was simply huge. Unarmed and opening himself to any attacks that might come, he stood with a squared footing, directly facing Genjiro. Genjiro was aware that the man before him was trying his hardest to mask his killing intent. Although his bloodlust was overflowing, Genjiro felt no threat from him. He was weak. With a booming, deep voice, he spoke.

"Could you possibly be the one who came to challenge this dojo? We're glad to be able to face such a-"

"Cut the formalities. I'm sent by Ryugyu Takeguchi to speak to your master. Bring him out."

"How fierce... With that shitty attitude, I might just beat the living fuck outta ya."

Genjiro read his movements. Too easy. The man proceeded to throw a straight cross towards the space between Genjiro's eyes and although the move was non-telegraphed, his size and weight slowed him down. At any second, Genjiro was more than ready to slip past the punch, causing him to overextend his arms and fall flat onto the ground.

"Ah... Sorry about him. He sometimes can be an asshole, I heard you called for me?"

Before the punch had travelled in the expected trajectory, a hand had caught it. Its grip increasingly tightened almost immediately. Cutting blood flow in just a matter of seconds, the man that attempted to strike Genjiro kneeled down, his face contorted in sheer pain as he struggled to break free of the crushing force of the grip. It was not too soon before his arm was discoloured and the immense crushing force had burst his blood vessels. The man groaned at first, until he couldn't take the pain anymore and began shrieking like a madman. Using the entire weight of his hulking figure, he attempted to escape the grip only to realise that his bones were about to be shattered as well.

"What are you doing! Stop! You're going to break his hand!"

"Oh... And what are you gonna do about it?"

Genjiro stayed quiet. His pitch black eyes coldly fixated on Sakurai's neck. He wished that he could take it off his body. If he were to cut down anyone from the Sakurai school, the public would lose respect for the Takeguchi school for assaulting its own affiliate and the reputation of Ryugyu, the representative swordsman of the East who uses the style, would definitely be tarnished.

"Ahahahah! Wipe that look off your face. What are you supposed to be, Ryugyu's dog? Sending you here to speak to me on his behalf... Can't that pretty boy come here himself?"

Unlike the aggressive, large man that met Genjiro, Sakurai was medium built. If he were to stand in the middle of a crowd in the market, no one would know that he was a trained swordsman. His facial hair was all trimmed except for a thick moustache that grew messily above his top lip. Releasing his left hand, the man beside him rolled on the ground, screaming uncontrollably. Every blood vessel, bone and tissue had been brutally torn apart by Sakurai's freakishly strong grip. His presence gave off a dangerous aura, as though there were crimson red smoke looming all over his entire being. Genjiro realised this and took a step back. His movements were swift and unnoticeable to most due to his relentless training but Sakurai seemed to have noticed it.