The next morning at 5:20 a.m. Outside of Shuen's temple, Yukio and Sora were sitting on the sandy floor with bored expressions.
Both of them hadn't gotten much sleep due to the excitement of finally getting some combat techniques; they had seriously hit the jackpot.
Sora slammed his fist into the ground and looked at Yukio. "Where the hell is this old man? He sure is taking his time." They had been here for half an hour, and there was no sign of Takeo.
Yukio just yawned and looked around, not seeing any sign of the old man. "I'm not too sure. He said five in the morning. Right, big bro?" He rubbed his eye and stood up to stretch.
"He sure as hell did." Sora rolled his eyes and started to stretch as well.
At that moment, they heard a coarse voice from behind. "Am I late?" Takeo said, walking over with a gentle smile on his face.
Yukio's tired expression immediately turned to excitement, and Sora also looked quite eager. "No! You are right on time, sensei!" Yukio almost squealed, making Sora giggle.
"You know, kid, If you want true power, I can give you all the advice you could ever need. The first step is to leave this village."
Sora didn't even take note of it, completely blanking out the voice of his ancestor.
The old man's smile widened, and he waved a hand, gesturing for them to follow. "Come, my dojo is this way." He said while walking away.
Yukio tilted his head, looking at Sora. "There was a dojo in the village?" He asked because he hadn't seen anything even similar to a dojo here in the village.
Sora shook his head incredulously. "I haven't seen one before, so I'm not sure. Perhaps he's trying to lure us into a trap." Sora said with a grin as he followed the old man.
Yukio trembled at the thought but followed behind Sora.
…
…
After walking to the complete opposite side of the village, Sora and Yukio were both a little out of breath. "Why the hell did we have to meet on the literal other side of the village? We could've met here and it would've been way faster." Sora complained as he steadied his breathing.
Takeo shook his head in disappointment. "If you want to become great swordsmen, then you are going to have to get used to doing laps around The Great Shuen Village." He added before walking into the building that didn't resemble a dojo at all from the outside.
The two kids looked at each other skeptically before they walked inside. Sora nodded once inside; now it definitely looked like a dojo. From what he had heard anyway. Yukio felt the same way as he looked around, taking note of the various wooden swords and framed family photos. He came to the conclusion that this was a family-run dojo.
He wanted to ask more, but he couldn't find the right time to ask, and he was quite socially awkward, so he didn't know how to either. So he let it go.
Sora, on the other hand, did not. "How come there aren't any students here? Pretty lonely." He said, wiping some dust off a picture of Takeo in his youth with another boy who looked similar but a bit younger to Takeo standing next to him.
Takeo nodded and looked at Sora with a sombre expression as he replied. "Well, it was a family dojo to begin with. My brother and I were taught by our father, and he was taught by his father, and so on." He coughed, the place filled with dust from no one using it for seemingly decades.
Yukio finally managed to ask a question. "So, you said you had other students, just not any successors. How come?" He stammered, but got the question out.
The old man seemed amused at Yukio's nervousness and sighed. "Well, they all quit after the first lesson. So no one ever really learned my technique, nor do I have any children to pass it down to." He added with disappointment.
Sora raised an eyebrow. "And your brother?"
The old man froze for a moment before he shook his head. "Nope. Anyway, it's time for your first lesson." He said as he grabbed a wooden sword.
Neither of the boys thought much of his dismissive words and just sat down to pay attention.
"Alright, this here is a Ninjatō. It is a unique type of blade often mistaken for a Katana due to its similar design. However, unlike a katana, a Ninjatō is straight and usually slightly shorter for stealthier, swifter attacks." The old man explained, Sora and Yukio nodding along.
The old man smiled in approval of the two's understanding and continued. "The style itself is called The Mirror Flower Style due to its beautiful yet deadly nature. It is as beautiful as a flower that only exists for a moment before it vanishes. The style is similar to that of a dance, it is extremely graceful. But that is not the reality. It is meant to mislead, to deceive. The main values of The Mirror Flower Style are its minimal movements, hidden intent, controlled bursts of speed, and ending fights before the opponent can see through the illusion."
Yukio's eyes widened. 'So that's why he wants the sense alteration technique… it would massively improve the style by casting illusions!' Yukio realised.
The old man continued. "First principle. Your movements must flow like water: you must never stop moving, or else you will lose your momentum. The transitions between attacks and movements must be fluid like steps of a dance. This way, your opponent will misjudge the distance, and timing will become useless for them." He took a breath.
"Second principle. Do not maintain a constant speed, your speed must come in short and spontaneous bursts. Slow, relaxed pacing with sudden explosive acceleration before immediately returning to the calm and relaxed state. This not only makes the style unpredictable but also minimises fatigue."
"Third principle. Deception always comes first - strikes can come after. Your attacks are more like secondary motions or follow-ups to feints. Never your first option - that is to maintain your momentum. Another reason for an attack is a consequence of an enemy's reaction if they slip up. Take that chance."
"Fourth principle. Efficiency above all. Your openings must not contain more than one strike: no follow-up attacks or extra cuts to wear the opponent down. No fancy flourish after successfully landing a blow. The beauty of it comes from absence, not overdoing it. Maintain your own flow."
The old man finally inhaled and took a sip of water. "Those are the core principles of The Mirror Flower Style; remember these principles until the day you die." He said, smiling at the children's reactions.
Yukio had written down everything that Takeo had said, and Sora was peeking over his shoulder and asking him to let him read that from time to time.
Takeo suddenly saw the blurry image of two young boys, both with short black hair and brown eyes, sitting exactly where Sora and Yukio were sitting, doing the same things. A sombre smile appeared on his face. For the first time in a while, he was confident about receiving his first successor.
The two finally stopped muttering to each other and looked back up at Takeo, who was looking at them back with a soft smile.
"Alright, do we start with some cool slashes now?" Sora stood up, looking towards the sword rack filled with numerous wooden Ninjatō.
The old man scoffed. "No swords yet. The body must lie convincingly before the blade can."
Sora's eyebrow twitched, and Yukio wrote that down.
Takeo walked to the side of the room and pushed open a door. "Come, this will be your first exercise." Sora immediately sprinted over to check it out, Yukio following in tow.
The duo walked into the new room filled with various training equipment, but the thing that caught their eye was the area taken up by two long, thin, tightropes that reached from one end of the room to the other.
"First and foremost, you must know how to balance yourself perfectly." The old man said as he walked over to the ropes, stepping onto one.
He looked at the duo and demonstrated.
Without using a drop of chakra, the old man walked across the rope with his hands calmly at his side. His face was calm and his eyes faced forward, the rope didn't even tremble. It was as if he was walking on a solid surface, not a super thin rope.
Sora scoffed and walked over. "That is far too easy, old man." He said as he stepped onto the rope, focusing his chakra into his feet to keep his balance.
*THWACK!*
Sora felt something hard hit the back of his head as he lost his balance and fell off the rope. "What the hell was that for?" He barked as he turned to see Takeo holding the wooden Ninjatō with disapproval in his gaze.
"No chakra, Sora. You must walk across the rope without using an ounce of chakra." He instructed, making Sora grit his teeth.
He rolled on the floor, gripping the back of his head, and barked at the old man. "And how is that supposed to be possible!?" He asked incredulously.
The old man chuckled and pointed at the rope. "I just showed you. Now start over. You too, Yukio." He turned his attention to Yukio.
The younger boy walked over quickly and positioned himself by the rope next to Sora's.
Sora and Yukio both stood on the start of the ropes, struggling to maintain balance. Yukio raised both of his arms to help with his balance before—
*THWACK!*
He was hit on the back of his head and fell to the floor, clenching his teeth. "Why?" He cried.
The old man shook his head and answered. "Your hands must be at your sides at all times." He shrugged. "In a battle, you can't raise your arms to balance yourself; your body must learn to be balanced at all times."
Yukio groaned and picked himself back up before starting again.
Sora tried again, his hands at his sides and no chakra being used. He walked forward, the tight rope trembling beneath his feet. He grit his teeth and moved quickly before he started to lose his balance and abruptly stopped.
*THWACK!*
"I thought I told you the principles of the style. Do not stop moving." The old man shook his head as Sora lost his balance and fell to the floor. "Start over."
Both Sora and Yukio grit their teeth as they returned to the start of the rope.
…
Sora made the rope tremble too much.
*THWACK!* "Start over."
Yukio fell off.
*THWACK!* "Start over."
Yukio's movements weren't even.
*THWACK!* "Start over."
Sora coughed.
*THWACK!* "Start over."
Yukio's eyes widened.
*THWACK!* "Start over."
Sora flinched.
*THWACK!* "Start over."
Sora used chakra.
*THWACK!* "Start over."
Yukio's finger twitched.
*THWACK!* "Start over."
…
After the first day, the duo returned home beaten and bruised. But nonetheless, they returned the next day. And the next.
This gruelling training went on for a week longer before Yukio finally got a hang of it.
Takeo watched with his arms crossed as Yukio positioned himself at one end of the rope. Sora was standing next to Takeo as they both watched Yukio.
The younger boy took a deep breath and took a step forward. His face was calm and stoic, both arms at his sides as he walked across the rope at a perfect walking speed. The rope didn't tremble nor did Yukio break a sweat or breathe at a different pace.
Sora's face turned dark as he watched Yukio do a 180° turn and walk back to the start at the same pace and with the same stoic face before he stepped off the rope and looked at Takeo and Sora expectantly. "I did it, right?"
The old man started clapping softly and he smiled softly. "Amazing job, young Yukio." He then looked at Sora. "Your turn." He said, still smiling softly.
Sora scoffed and walked up to his rope, stepped up and positioned himself.
He didn't use any chakra, he took a deep breath and his face was calm. "Let's do this." He muttered beneath his breath.
He took one step, then another and another. He walked for a moment at the exact same pace, with both arms at his side as he walked along the rope.
He was filled with excitement but he didn't let it show on his face.
*THWACK!* "Start over."
Sora fell to the floor and clenched the back of his head. His eyes flashed gold as he bared his teeth at the old man. "I did nothing wrong! What is your problem!?" He spat.
"Your lip quivered."