The words from the letter were like a stone cast into the stillness of Tatsuya's heart, sending ripples through his soul. His movements slowed as his mind began to wander uncontrollably.
Three of them! And with such different personalities...! They sound like a handful. Mount Fujikasane will surely be crawling with experts from all over, wouldn't it? Everyone fighting demons among the wisteria for the same goal... Will I get a chance to fight alongside them? Or maybe... test my blade against theirs?
He could already see the scene: unfamiliar faces, various breathing styles, future allies and rivals, and the stories that would unfold in desperate situations. A surge of tension, excitement, and anticipation swelled in his chest. His grip on his master's back tightened.
"Sss—you brat! Are you trying to break my back?!" Kuwajima winced theatrically, but his voice held no malice—only a hidden trace of a smile.
Tatsuya snapped back to reality, smiling sheepishly as he lightened his touch. But his golden eyes were brighter than before.
"Master," his voice was full of drive, "it looks like I really need to step it up! I can't go to the Final Selection and embarrass you or the Thunder Breathing legacy of Mount Momoyama! It would be a total loss of face if I lost to Water Breathing!"
Little Black, perched on Kuwajima's shoulder, tilted its head and gave a soft "Goo-goo," as if echoing the boy's resolve.
"Mm. Well said. Now go—two hundred repetitions of Thunderclap and Flash."
"Wait, on that note, Master..."
Jokes were jokes, but one did not mess around with Master Kuwajima.
Ever since Tatsuya had touched the threshold of Thunderclap and Flash, he thought it would be a time for learning cool new moves. Reality hit him like a ton of bricks. For the next month, his life consisted of nothing but the words "Thunderclap and Flash" and Kuwajima's endless "creative" methods of extortion.
"Huh? Go into the forest for Thunderclap and Flash? I'll just slam into a tree, Master!"
"Fool! Who told you that Thunderclap and Flash can only be performed on flat ground?" With a roar, Tatsuya was driven into the dense woods. His mission: to weave through the tangled trees at the speed of lightning. To make things worse, Kuwajima would randomly throw hanging targets made of thick vine rings along his path!
THUD! Tatsuya, distracted by the targets, failed to steer and slammed his shoulder into a pine tree, seeing stars.
"Too slow! Too messy! Do you think a demon in a forest will just stand still and wait for you to walk up and cut its head off? Use the trees to kick off and change direction! Turn a linear burst into a continuous lunge! Cut it down!" Kuwajima's scolding followed a whistling vine ring.
This isn't swordsmanship, Tatsuya wailed internally. This is making me learn how to be a monkey flying through trees while performing acrobatics!
He had to push his perception to the absolute limit. While maintaining Total Concentration Breathing, he frantically calculated the gaps between trees and the angles for his footwork, turning into a golden blur.
At first, he either hit trees, missed the rings, or struck them with such poor form they simply flew away. He was covered in leaves, scrapes, and the marks of failure. But gradually, his trajectory became fluid. His wooden blade began to catch those high-speed rings with precision. Snap! They were sliced in half.
"Just you watch, Master! I've got this in the bag!"
"Oh, is that so?"
Every time Tatsuya got cocky, the "kindly" Master Kuwajima would teach him a lesson.
"Waaaah! Who throws two targets in opposite directions, Master?!" Tatsuya, failing to brake in time, crashed into a bush like a tornado destroying a parking lot.
"In the bag, hm?"
"I was wrong, Master! Spare me!"
And it didn't stop there. Once he adapted to the forest, Kuwajima took him to a mountain stream under a violent waterfall.
"Withstand the current! Feel the resistance! Burst with speed and precision in the face of adversity!" Kuwajima stood on the bank, his voice piercing the roar of the water as he tossed thin wooden planks into the torrent.
Tatsuya stood waist-deep in the pool. Above him, the freezing, heavy impact of the waterfall hammered down. He had to lunge through this massive resistance and strike the wooden planks drifting in the chaos! At first, even standing was hard. The planks either slipped past him or he lunged too hard, parting the water in vain.
"Your breath! Steady your breath! The water isn't crushing you—you're crushing yourself! Keep your heart still, your eyes sharp, and your blade true!"
Tatsuya gritted his teeth, adjusting his breath in the rapids over and over. He forced himself to stay calm and sense the subtle changes in the water. Snap!Snap! The sound of breaking wood began to echo. Though his success rate was low, his control over power, timing, and core stability was skyrocketing.
The ultimate nightmare, however, was the upgraded "Pebble Storm." Kuwajima replaced the beans with heavier, more painful pebbles thrown with Thunder Breathing force. Simultaneously, targets would pop up randomly around the clearing.
"Maintain focus amidst the chaos! Find the only straight line and complete the strike!"
Tatsuya was pushed to the brink. He began to dodge pebbles with minimal movement by pure instinct while launching incomplete versions of Thunderclap and Flash to shatter the targets.
Days passed. The brutal training continued, but Tatsuya's state had changed.
The stumbling in the forest was replaced by an efficient, fluid trajectory. He was still fast as lightning, but he was no longer a runaway train. He could judge the distance between trees and use the counter-force of his kicks to adjust his direction instantly.
Under the freezing waterfall, he was no longer a struggling soul. His lower body was like a rock, his core as steady as Mount Tai. His blade broke the water, catching elusive targets with a powerful, condensed force.
As for the "Pebble Storm," he found a rhythm. He stopped dodging in a panic and started anticipating Kuwajima's intent. His movements became minute—a slight tilt of the head, a small step. He would dodge and lunge in the same heartbeat.
Kuwajima saw everything. He didn't show it, instead increasing the difficulty—smaller targets, lighter leaves in the waterfall, and pebbles from multiple directions. But he knew the boy was digesting the training at an incredible speed. The "Wild Boar Charge" had evolved into the silhouette of true thunder.
Finally, one day, Kuwajima decided the timing was right. He led Tatsuya to a secluded clearing behind the mountain. There stood a giant boulder, covered in moss, so large it would take six people to encircle it. It stood with a heavy, ancient majesty.
"Use your Thunderclap and Flash to cut it open," Kuwajima ordered flatly.
Tatsuya sucked in a breath. "Ma... Master, you're joking? This rock? With Thunderclap and Flash?"
"Stop talking! Concentrate all your spirit, will, and power! Gather all your months of training and your understanding of 'forward momentum' into this one strike! If you can't do it, keep practicing until you can!"
Tatsuya took a deep breath, suppressing his self-doubt. He walked to a distance suitable for a lunge and set his stance.
Thunder Breathing: Total Concentration!
He closed his eyes. Every failure and every small success of the past months flashed through his mind.
"Concentrate on one point... Hone it to perfection!"
When he opened his eyes, his golden pupils were filled with absolute focus.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form—"
The ground beneath him buckled. He was instantly enveloped in dazzling golden electricity. This time, it wasn't just a shadow—it was thunder that rent the air!
"THUNDERCLAP AND FLASH!"
BOOOOOM!!!
With a deafening explosion and a blinding flash, Tatsuya's figure crossed paths with the boulder. He stopped behind it, propping himself up with his wooden sword, his muscles trembling. The strike had nearly drained him completely.
A moment of silence passed.
Crr-ack... Rumble...
A clear crack appeared at the top of the boulder and raced downward. Finally, the massive stone split in two, falling to the sides with a heavy thud, kicking up clouds of dust. Tatsuya stared at the split rock with disbelief, followed by a surge of ecstasy.
Kuwajima stood there, looking at the clean cut. He was stunned. This 'Trial Stone' is Urokodaki's old trick. Every kid who graduates from him has to cut one. I intentionally picked a rock bigger than Urokodaki's just to test Tatsuya... I didn't think he'd do it this fast. Hmph, Urokodaki, my disciple is better after all!
Pride and competition with his old friend swirled in his chest. But he kept his face calm. "Mm. Passable. You're finally looking the part. Remember that feeling; that is the true edge of Thunderclap and Flash."
He would never tell Tatsuya how much he wanted to cheer. The mask of the "Strict Master" had to stay on a little longer.