Shimotsuki Village – Dojo Courtyard
Hrrraah!
With a sharp shout, Kuina's bamboo sword slammed down onto the head of a green-haired boy, dropping him flat on his back in a cloud of dust.
"Defeat number 1,412," she said flatly. "Try again later, Zoro."
The boy groaned, rubbing his scalp. "I'll beat you one day, I swear!"
Then he bolted off, sword flailing behind him like a tail.
Kuina didn't watch him go. Her eyes remained focused, her arms still flowing through practice forms—sharp, fast, disciplined.
From the side of the courtyard, a deep, rumbling voice interrupted her rhythm.
"Big Sis," Kuma said with a grunt, his massive body padding into view. "That green-haired brat didn't challenge you today?"
Kuina didn't even pause her movements. "Failed. Again. Ran off."
Kuma snorted and collapsed onto his usual sunlit spot near the dojo wall. His enormous frame—now over eight meters tall—settled with a satisfying thud. The once-fat, lumbering bear was now a towering beast of muscle and menace. The trees of this island's forests had bent to him. The animals bowed or fled. He'd tamed the entire wilderness in Jin's absence.
"I've wiped out every damn beast on this island," Kuma muttered. "Mapped every damn herb. Conquered the whole damn forest. And the old bastard still hasn't come back."
He lifted his nose to the breeze and sniffed.
Then froze.
"Wait…"
He sniffed again, deeper this time. His eyes widened.
Kuina noticed the change in his posture.
"What is it?"
A beat of silence.
Kuma stood up with a loud growl of delight. "It's him. I caught his scent. Boss is back!"
Kuina's blade faltered mid-air.
Jin's scent. After two years. Faint on the wind, but unmistakable.
She almost turned. Almost dropped her guard.
But then her lips tightened, and she resumed swinging her sword. Cold, controlled.
"Hmph," she muttered. "Took him two years and he didn't even bother to check in once. Bastard. I'm not going to greet him. Let him come crawling back."
Kuma tilted his massive head, confused. "Didn't you say you missed him like crazy?"
"I said no such thing," Kuina replied coolly. "I don't care if he's back or not."
But even as she spoke, her grip on the bamboo sword trembled, just slightly.
Main Road – Shimotsuki Village
Thud.
Jin landed softly on the dirt road as he stepped off the passenger vessel. He took in the familiar air with a smirk and stretched like a lazy tiger waking up from hibernation.
"Two years," he murmured. "Feels like a lifetime."
The village hadn't changed much. Same old crooked fences. Same old chatter from the bakery. Same old smell of wet grass and miso soup drifting through the wind.
People he recognized waved at him. He nodded back, his face calm, his walk unhurried. This place… it didn't feel like home. But it was the closest thing he had left.
As he passed the slope toward the hilltop dojo, he paused and glanced up.
Isshin Dojo.
"Been watching me from the shadows this whole time, haven't you?" Jin murmured. "Guess it's time we had a proper conversation, Koshiro-san."
He didn't stop long. He turned west, toward the edge of the village. Toward home.
A massive blur of fur charged toward him with the force of a boulder.
"BOSS!! YOU'RE BACK!!! I MISSED YOU!!"
"FUCKING HELL—KUMA!"
Jin's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he lifted his foot and—BAM!—kicked the enormous bear square in the gut.
Kuma flew ten meters backward, landing belly-first with a heavy thud that shook the trees.
"Goddamn idiot," Jin said, lowering his leg. "You're the size of a house now. You trying to crush me to death with a hug?!"
Kuma groaned, rolling over dramatically. "Boss, you haven't changed at all…"
"Damn right I haven't," Jin said, grinning. "Still strong enough to boot your furry ass across the village."
Kuma lumbered back to his feet and beamed. "You saw that, right? I'm bigger now. I finished the whole forest conquest. I'm the mountain king!"
"Took you long enough," Jin said, flicking his coat. "Should've been done in six months, you lazy bastard."
Kuma wagged his head like a dog and trailed behind as Jin walked forward.
"Kuinaaa~," Jin called playfully as he neared the old dojo home. "Your one and only troublemaker is home!"
Kuma snorted behind him. "So cold…"
Inside the courtyard, Kuina's blade didn't slow.
She heard him. Of course she did. That bastard's voice hadn't changed a bit.
Her chest tightened with something between joy and fury. She refused to look up.
Let him come crawling.
Jin stepped into the courtyard and saw her.
She'd grown taller. Her cheeks were sharper, the baby fat replaced by subtle angles. She wore a pale pink top and deep red training pants, and her dark hair was tied back into a short ponytail. Her eyes remained calm… but he saw the tremble in her wrists.
She didn't stop swinging.
He smiled.
"Damn," he said, loud enough for her to hear. "I leave for two years and you get prettier, meaner, and way more stubborn."
No response.
Jin walked a little closer, hands raised in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. I admit it. I should've come back sooner. I was a selfish prick. Forgive me?"
Still nothing.
Then—suddenly—
"YAAAAHHH!"
She lunged at him with a shriek, bamboo sword flashing in the light.
Jin didn't move.
CRACK!
The bamboo stick slammed into his chest. He barely flinched.
He looked down at her. Her face was flushed, eyes wide, lower lip trembling. The tears in her eyes betrayed what the sword couldn't express.
"Welcome home," she whispered.
Jin stepped forward and gently wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm back," he said softly, forehead touching hers. "For real this time."
She didn't pull away.
Instead, she closed her eyes, breathing in the scent she remembered.
"…Took you long enough, asshole."
He chuckled. "You missed me."
"I did not."
Kuma wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye
This story is inspired from various fanfics i have read from around the world so if you find any similarities please dont mind . Thank you
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T/N :
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