“chirp chirp”

Another normal day in the peaceful Umikaze Village. Old people chatting about various stuff from the past. Children running around, playing various games.

The stationed samurai were playing shogi with the older men there, and a couple of people gathered around them to watch the spectacle. Young maidens carrying out various chores, feeding animals, taking care of plants, and so on.

There were smiles all around, happiness and satisfaction on their faces, regardless of what challenge they were thrown into.

The entire village seemed to be the perfect embodiment of all the peace in the world…

Or maybe not…

“Munch Munch”

“Crunch Crunch…”

“Hehe… Oi Kiyomasa, I’m gonna finish this bowl and go for another round. Watch me, you idiot.” Seijūrō spoke as he almost finished up the rice in his bowl.

“Huhh?? Why should I watch you when I’m gonna finish it before you and get another bowl before your dumb ass does?" Kiyomasa’s face was partly hidden with the bowl that he had raised so that he could eat more quickly.

“Heh, you wish.
I’m done, Aiko-san. Can I get another bowl?”

“Aiko-san, Can I get another bowl?”

“OI BRATS! I DON’T HAVE FIVE HANDS TO GIVE YOU FOOD, BOWL AFTER BOWL. Geez, will you eat a bit slowly?

Look at Takeshi, enjoying and eating his food slowly.” Aiko yelled out initially, coming out of the shop with their refill and a plate of tempura.

Seijūrō and Kiyomasa turn to look at Takeshi, who was slowly munching on his food and taking his time to savor it. He suddenly paused and looked at them as he felt their gazes.

“W-What? Why are you looking at me all of a sudden?” Takeshi spoke as he put down his bowl on the table.

“Weak!” Seijūrō and Kiyomasa spoke in unison as they looked at Takeshi. Their bowls were refilled, and Aiko placed the plate of tempura in between them.

“Huh?? Why are you calling me weak for eating food slowly? I’m actually surprised you two have the energy to eat like this. I am really worn out, ugh…” Takeshi replied, looking at them getting ready to speedrun another round of food.

“Heh, hence why you are weak, Takeshi.” Kiyomasa chuckled.

“You know what they say, Takeshi—you're not strong if you manage to cut down every single one of your enemies. You are truly strong when you munch down as many bowls of food as you can than the person sitting next to you.” Seijūrō spoke, making a proud face.

“No one says that…” Takeshi replied softly.
“Dude, that was a lousy line. That was a bad follow-up to my line, and you are making me look bad. I knew I shouldn’t have teamed up with this idiot.

Only to drag me down…” Kiyomasa replied, crunching on the piece of fried tempura.

“Oi Kiyomasa, you bastard, and you too, Takeshi… That was a great line, you two are just dumbasses who can’t understand the value of a line like that.” Seijūrō spoke angrily, tearing the juicy flesh from the tempura.

“Nop, that was a bad line alright.

Here you go, Takeshi.” Aiko came in, handing a plate of tempura to Takeshi.

“Ahh, not you too, Aiko-san…”

“Hahaha…

You come up with lines like this and you won’t ever get a woman, you know” Aiko smiles, teasing Seijūrō.

“H-Huh? I… I don’t want a woman, though.” Seijūrō taken back by the sudden comment, blushed a bit and replied.

“Not with that attitude, you won’t!” Aiko pats and rubs Seijūrō’s hair before smiling and going back to the shop.

Takeshi and Kiyomasa paused and were looking at the whole situation. They were suddenly taken aback by the topic as well.

“Umm, well…” Takeshi tried to break the ice, but the scenario had gotten a bit too awkward.
“Yeah umm…” Kiyomasa and Seijūrō tried as well, but they couldn’t find anything to talk about.

“Okay, so… I’m gonna eat like the two of you as well. I’m gonna munch down everything and ask for another round before the two of you.” Takeshi spoke, finally ending the awkwardness.

“Hehe, now we’re talking.”

“You are on, Takeshi. Let’s see if you can beat me in this.”

The trio continued on with their brawl, and time passed.

“So, what are we going to do next?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, we’re injured, and we need rest to recuperate and all, so…”

“To nuts with that, I’m gonna go train right away!”

“No one is going anywhere to train until I say so. Got it?” Aiko marched in as they sat by the bench in the centre of the village.

“Ow Ow Ow.” Seijūrō cried out in pain as Aiko pinched his ears.

“Three of you, in the condition you are, aren’t allowed to go anywhere near a sword, you get me?”

“Yes, yes, we get it, now please spare my poor ears, Ojou-sama…”

“Hmm, as long as you stay by your word.

(whispers to herself) And while I say this, they’ll be out swinging their swords the minute I take my eye off them. Hahh.” Aiko replied and sighed as she walked away.

“ALSO TAKESHI, PACK YOUR STUFF FROM THE CAVE AND COME BACK HERE, OKAY? I’VE SET UP A ROOM FOR YOU TO STAY.” Aiko yelled out from a distance,

“I’M FINE AIKO-SAN, YOU DON’T HAVE TO TROUBLE YOURSELF.” Takeshi replied back.

“I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANY EXCUSES, YOU ARE COMING BACK WITH YOUR STUFF, THAT’S ALL.”

“ALL RIGHT, AIKO-SAN!

Well, there goes the hideout.” Takeshi sighed.

“Aw man!” Seijūrō replied.

“Oh well….
Anyways, we’re going to train right?” Takeshi asked the duo.

“Of course, but surely not where Aiko-san can see us.” Seijūrō replied.

“Got it!” Takeshi and Kiyomasa yelled, excited, but were signalled to keep it low by Seijūrō.

“Man, I can’t wait to try out and explore more of Dragon Will.” Seijūrō made a proud face as he described this.

“Yeah, I want to get back to polishing my Eight Rivers technique.” Kiyomasa smiled as he reminisced about his technique.

“Yeah… well… I just, umm… I just have my footwork to work on.” Takeshi thought about his technique as the other two were speaking about theirs and looked down when he realized he was the only one who didn’t have a specialized sword technique of his own.

“Oi…
You make that gloomy ass face ine more time and I’m gonna whoop your ass.” Seijūrō replied to him.

“You finally fixed your issue and formed a great footwork technique. Just focus on perfecting that man, we can figure out the rest later.” Kiyomasa patted him as he got up.

"Yeah, that's true, I guess." Takeshi looked at his hands and then at his legs. He stretched it out and observed it.

"Let's go then, I'll be heading out to the north end. See you guys later!" Kiyomasa picked up his sword from the spot where all three swords were kept.

He then waved at the two of them and started to walk away.

"Alright then, see you in the evening." Takeshi replied back as he patted Seijūrō and exchanged a nod with him.

Thus, the three of them parted ways for the time being to pursue their training… in secret, of course.

Takeshi went back to his cave and set the things he brought from the village down. He then held out his sheathed sword and looked at it for a bit.

He sighed and then took a deep breath before heading out.

Takeshi went to his usual training spot, which was some distance away from the cave, and started his training.

He slowly exuded his ki and started to practice his footwork technique. Retracing his steps from his training sessions from before as well as the fight against the beast, he focused on himself to figure out what might be the thing that was still hindering him or try to figure out the minor lapses and mistakes he makes unknowingly.

He came to the realization back then that this was indeed the best possible answer to the problem and that he’s on the right track. All that was left to do was to constantly practice and refine it to a point where it can rival any other technique under the sun.

His ki control was a bit more stable compared to the time when he came to the village initially or when he first started training here, in the forest. He isn’t aware whether it had increased or not, but he was sure that he was able to better use it for each and every technique that he has in his arsenal.

Albeit not perfect, this was indeed the right way. The techniques that people create during the process of discovering themselves are quite varied. But in almost all cases, the techniques they develop are, in one way or another, suited to their personality, their body structure, and their constitution.

But there’s no such thing as a perfect technique. Each technique has its own drawbacks. If it’s a strong ability, then obviously it’ll have a very huge price the user must pay.

There might be people blessed by the heavens who have techniques that might seem near impossible to find a weakness for, but that too will have its flaws. They will find a way around the price and make it so it fits their convenience. And therein lies the actual skill of the user.

The truly strong are those who face adversities head-on, not those who have abilities beyond reason.

After all, there’s no such thing as a perfect being.

*****

Yoshimoto continued on with his investigation while he pondered about who the people involved in the fight were. He suddenly noticed an unstable ki rising from somewhere in the forest, ahead of where he was currently.

“Ohh, that’s an interesting ki signature. It’s not strong, but it’s pulsing. Usually, it would mean it’s an underdeveloped warrior’s ki signature, but somehow this is different.

It's surging in a pattern!

It remains low for the most part, and then it spikes. This is repeated again and again, as if the spike occurs in a cycle.

Who in the world would have such control over a weak ki signature?

I mustn’t get sidetracked, but this person seems interesting. Well, I’ll just check it out just in case.”

Yoshimoto disguises himself with some spare clothes he had on him so that he doesn’t reveal his identity.

He masks his ki completely and flashes towards the ki signature. He hides behind some bushes, not making any noise whatsoever. He then slowly observes the person.

He patiently watched the young man with jet black wavy hair and amber-coloured eyes move on all fours with his sword and face angled up, followed by a complete change from that particular posture to slash the layer of air in front of him.

He was wearing a greyish hakama and a haori, tied using a black obi. The sweat on his face sparkled with the sunlight reflected on it.

Yoshimoto could sense clearly that this slash packed enough power to cut down a man in half, if done with the exact amount of power that the young man exerted right now. He was clearly impressed as he was fully immersed in this boy’s practice.

Then something hit him. This movement style and this footwork technique were oddly familiar to him. He thought about it for a few seconds and nodded off at the possibility of such a coincidence. But he decided to pay close attention to it and watch the whole spectacle again.

‘Nope, there’s no mistaking it…

This technique. It’s indeed based on my clan’s technique.

Shiba-clan: Beast style.

But something’s not right. He deviates from that style somewhere in the middle of the sequence. Not to mention, there’s slight alterations to the part that resembles the technique to begin with. Anyone would instantly mistake it for the Beast style if they didn’t pay close attention.

Interesting, very interesting.

Who is this boy? Is he someone from the branch families trying to develop his own technique using this as a basis?

But his attire, isn't one of the clan’s normal attire, even if it’s not the usual authentic garb.

Is he trying to hide his identity?

Well, if he is, then he’s doing a good job. This is truly a good start. But there are some things he could improve in the current style he’s using.

Should I give him a hand? I know my uncle told me not to help the branch families unless it’s a dangerous situation or an emergency warranting immediate help.

Meh, who cares? Screw them and their stupid agenda to maintain power. I’m gonna help this kid out, who knows, he just might be the change this stuck-up, rotten world needs...

That thought in itself is stupid, isn’t it? One person alone cannot really bring about a revolution. They might say one man did, but in most cases, that man just happened to be at the right spot at the right time.

He merely made good use of the efforts of several others that were undermined or submerged under the masses, and he managed to bring them to light.

Wait, why am I thinking of this? Wait, what was I thinking?

Oh, right, helping him out. Right.’

Yoshimoto thought all of this while he was observing the man. He had gotten so engrossed in his thought process that he didn’t realise that his suppression had worn off.

“Huh? Who’s there?” The young man had stopped his training right as he sensed the ki. He looked around for a bit while Yoshimoto was still thinking and didn’t notice him.

So he spoke out loud and raised his sword in the direction of Yoshimoto, although he wasn’t really sure if the person emitting the ki was in that direction.

‘Ahh crap, did he see me?
Oh well, it doesn’t matter. I was planning on showing myself anyway.’

“Hey, don’t be alarmed. I’m just a traveller.” Yoshimoto came out of the bushes, signalling with his hands.

“Ohh? Then what were you doing hiding in the bushes?” The young man asked him.

“I was passing by, and I noticed your presence. I came to check it out to see if it’s something that I would want to avoid, and then I saw you. I saw you practicing, and I thought I'd take a break from travelling by resting here and watching you.

I hid because I didn’t want to disturb your training.” Yoshimoto replied.

“Ohh, okay. I thought someone or something was hiding somewhere. I wasn’t sure, so I yelled out.

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” The young man lowered his sword and bowed his head as he apologized.

“Oh no, no. It’s fine. If anything, I was the one who hid behind the bushes and disturbed you. I’m sorry about that.”

“Please, it’s fine, mister.” The young man replied.

They both shared an awkward moment, with Yoshimoto not knowing how to initiate the conversation. He decided to wing it.

“So, umm… I was watching you, and it’s an interesting technique you have there.” Yoshimoto broke the ice and spoke.

“Ahh, yeah, that. Thanks. It’s something that came to me as I observed various stuff.” The young man replied.

“Ohh is that so? Forgive me for being intrusive, but you are from the Shiba clan, aren’t you? You must be from one of the branch families.

I’d understand if you wanted to keep this a secret and wanted to train, further enhance, and form your own technique and all that.

It is understandable, though; branch family members have it tough with the main family taking everything away from them, including their rights to various secret techniques that are passed down in the clan’s main family.

But don’t worry, I’m not one to tell on others. I’m a traveller and as such, I merely observe various people that I encounter in my travels.” Yoshimoto explained himself.

“Ohh no, mister, you’re mistaken. I’m not from the Shiba clan or its branch families. I’m just another samurai-in-training. I have no affiliation whatsoever with them.” The young man replied.

“My good man, see, there’s no need to lie to me, but if you still insist on maintaining your stance, then I digress.” Yoshimoto smiled as he replied.

“No, really! I’m just a samurai training to take part in the Ancient Emperor Style Academy’s trial. I already failed once, hence, I took a break to train in the forest here. That is all.” The young man spoke with confidence in his eyes.

‘He doesn’t look like he’s lying, could it really be that he isn’t from my clan?’

“Ohh okay, I just assumed so because your footwork technique is very similar to the Shiba-clan Beast-style footwork. I apologize for the mistake.” Yoshimoto responded politely, waiting for an explanation.

“Wait really? My technique is similar to the Shiba clan's technique? Oh no, is there going to be an issue saying that I stole their technique?

But I really don’t get how it turned out to be like that. I just formed this technique in order to meet my own needs.” The young man had a worried expression as he spoke.

“Well, it is not like it’s a spitting image of the technique. It’s just the starting and usage of feet, which are similar. The rest changes very differently compared to yours. Not to mention, they don’t exactly move on all fours.

They teach their clan members to move like that initially, but it is just so that they can develop their instincts and sharpen their movements when on their feet. They do bend though.” The young man listened intently as Yoshimoto explained.

“Ohh, I see, that’s how it is.”

“Also, you mentioned some needs of yours. What are those? Would you care to share?” Yoshimoto asked.

“Well, it's just that my legs move a bit more than I want them to. So I am not able to do or perform the most normal and basic level of footwork techniques.” The young man responded, looking at his legs.

"Hence, I figured out this technique. It allows me to use the uncertainty in the movement of my legs to my advantage. That is pretty much it.” The young man continued.

“Ohh… That is indeed a wise tactic. Would you care to show me how your legs move? I would very much like to see it.” Yoshimoto bowed to the young man.

“Y-Yeah sure, please don’t bow, mister, it’s rude of me to make someone older bow to me.” The young man panicked and spoke.

He then showcased his disability in moving while using a normal footwork technique, as the one used in First Draw-style, and the same sword technique but in his own technique.

‘First Draw-style eh? So, he wasn’t lying about the academy part. But wait, he already knows this, could someone who knew this technique have taught him this? Otherwise, there’s no way for a student who hasn’t enrolled in the academy to be aware of this technique.

Albeit basic, this forms the foundation for the Ancient Emperor Style. Either someone who graduated taught him or he learned this via some unknown means... Either way, it is impressive, but he isn’t able to fully use it. I’ll ask him about this later.’ Yoshimoto continues on with his analysis of the young man’s footwork and sword technique.

‘I see. So, he stumbles in between the normal movement technique, which causes him to break form, and not to mention, the power he gathers during the movement technique is dissipated. And he can’t keep his posture in the final step either.

But when the same sword technique is performed in his novel style, not only is he able to perform all the moves exactly and perfectly, but he is also able to generate at least twice the amount of power. Which is why I felt a strong force from his slash earlier.

Although there are some flaws in his current version of the footwork technique, if this is improved, it is going to be huge.

This boy…’

“So yeah, that’s it. That’s how this helps me out-” The young man continued to talk about his technique.

'He doesn’t realize, the true potential of this technique he has developed.'

“Hmm, yes. This is truly remarkable, I must say.” Yoshimoto applauded him by clapping his hands. The young man smiled in response.

“But you know, there could be some improvements…” Yoshimoto tilted his head and gave him a look, which intrigued the young man.

Yoshimoto pointed out the minor flaws that had been reducing his output. The young man listened keenly; he understood most of what Yoshimoto was trying to convey.

After some time of teaching the young man.

“So yeah, that’s about it. It’ll take some time for you to implement these improvements into your technique. So, take your time.” Yoshimoto patted him.

‘I’m very interested to see how the future of this boy pans out.

But really, who would’ve thought... The Beast-style’s foundations would be able to create a monster of a technique like this. And he formed this without knowledge of those foundations.

Now that I’ve given him pointers on how exactly those work and how he could implement them, it’s only a matter of time before we see a new monster in the shogunate.

Heh, I wonder how the “Star Generation” will fare against the likes of him. It’ll surely bring about some exciting developments.

Ahh, I’m getting sidetracked again. I’ve gotta go meet Kanroji-Sensei as well! I’ll depart after some time, I guess.’

Yoshimoto let his train of thoughts run amok as he watched the young man train. He had a few sparring sessions with him to help him better understand the concepts.

He also asked the young man about where he learned the First Draw-style, to which he replied that a friend of his, who is currently enrolled had taught him prior to his first trial.

After some hours…

“So, I guess that is it for me. I have to depart immediately.” Yoshimoto smiled as he faced the young man.

"Ahh, by the way, what is your name, young man?”

“Ohh, I never introduced myself, eh? Even after all the help you did for me, I’m  sorry."The young man bowed.

“My name is Takeshi.”

"Ahh, I see. Well, it was nice meeting you, Takeshi-kun. My name is… well… Taka- wait, nevermind. It’s Yoshimoto.”

"Wait, you were going to say a different name-” Takeshi replied quickly, catching onto it,

“Ahh well, never mind that, ahaha. My real name is indeed Yoshimoto; I’m not lying about that. And I want you to keep our meeting a secret, got it?” Yoshimoto put his index fingers on his lips.

“Alright, I will keep this a secret.

Well, take care then, Yoshimoto-san.” Takeshi replied as he slowly walked away.

"Oh, there is also one other thing. Don’t just reveal your technique to any stranger who asks you about it, got it, you dumbass?” Yoshimoto came closer to Takeshi and gave a light flick to his forehead, warning him about it.

“Ohh, right. I’m sorry about that, Yoshimoto-san. I’ll be sure to remember that.”

“Good.
Well, bye then.
We’ll see each other soon enough, I’m sure.” Yoshimoto waved his hands in the air as Takeshi waved at him.

‘Geez, I’m more worried about someone kidnapping him than him dying on a battlefield, given how naïve he is. Well, he’s got a lot to learn, so, heh, let’s give him time, I guess.’

“Well, I’ll continue my training, I guess.

Only three more months to go before the next trial begins…

Gotta be fully ready by then.”

Be-Beng…

To be continued.