Game of Shadows by Adrian King1

Chapter 140

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor The Gamer. I own nothing, really.

Cover Art: Kissuli.

Chapter 140

Eiji very deliberately laid out a scroll on the table in front of him, slowly opening it to reveal the storage seal inside. Then, looking up at the Mizukage and her advisor, he nodded. That was all the ceremony he offered to them before doing what he'd set out to do. With a puff of smoke, the item inside the seal was retrieved, laying on top of the scroll and almost hiding the paper from view.

"Samehada," Mei mumbled, looking in awe at the living sword. "It's really back," she added, taking an almost thoughtless step forward and raising her hand. Fortunately, she was smart enough not to touch the thing, but she did trace the silhouette of the weapon. "We weren't planning on getting it anytime soon, with Kisame as its wielder. We thought we'd have to wait until the man grew weak with age or until he passed it to someone that was less of a monster."

Her advisor cleared his throat, but she waved him off.

"I won't be downplaying this, Ao. This is a great service, the one you've done for us, Weaver," the woman said, standing a little straighter. "Quite honestly, this is worth much more to us than what you asked for. Even if our forces had to fight Akatsuki, it would've been in our own best interest to do so."

Behind her, Ao twitched, which was very amusing for Eiji, quite honestly.

"It was a desperate time for me, I had to make sure," the boy replied, regarding the village leader for a moment. "If it makes you feel better, it'll probably be a while before I give you back Nuibari. I've grown attached to it, and while I know I can't keep it forever, I do want to find it a worthy wielder."

"We'd want nothing else," the woman told him, as if she were completely fine with Eiji keeping one of their legendary weapons. "Nuibari is as good as ours as it is, we can be patient."

"And you wouldn't say no to me feeling like I owe you something," the teenager added, drawing a shameless smile from the Kage. "I don't know if I should be amused or annoyed by the fact that you aren't even gonna try to deny it," he commented, visibly displeasing Mei's advisor. Eiji could care less about the man though, to be honest. "You are amusingly direct with your ulterior intentions... But that's also annoying, seeing as I can't fool myself into thinking that you haven't considered certain aspects of things."

"I've found that it's better to be direct about certain things. Less chance of people being offended when they might have been too stupid to consider them," Mei replied with a shrug, earning a chuckle from him. "Besides, I thought you in particular would appreciate that, seeing as you seem to be a very direct person yourself."

"I am and I do, but it's still weird to be on the receiving end of that," the boy said with a slight smile. "Anyway, if that is all on that front, I have a few things to talk about with you, if you have the time. Nothing too important, really."

To that, Mei gave Ao a look before the man gave a very stiff nod.

"Certainly, what did you have in mind?" the Kage asked him curiously.

"Well, first of all, I was wondering if there's anyone that would be agreeable to spar with me and my team," he said, making both of the people in the room widen their eyes. "There's only so much I can limit them when fighting weaker people like bandits and criminals. There comes a point when it's basically not worth it."

"I think I could put together some people, but I don't know how close to your team's level they will be, let alone you," Mei replied, looking like she had expected just about anything other than what he had asked. Not that he could blame her. It was a bit of an odd request, he supposed.