Chapter 23: Haze Dojo Training (3)
[Haze Dojo, Kirigakure]
*BAM*
"Shift your body to the right", the excited voice of an old man reverberated in the Haze dojo as he struck his disciple on the ribs.
'Aouch, this one hurts', Takeshi complained inwardly, but did not express anything on his face
"Good. Externalizing pain is not the path of shinobi. Endure that pain, and learn from it. There is no better way to learn"
As the next blow came on his left, Takeshi did not try to block it. Instead, he tried to move alongside it. This was the essence of [Water Flow], to use the momentum of the enemy as one's own strength.
*BOOM*
Takeshi was sent flying onto the wall of the dojo, blood dripping on his face.
It seemed like he was still far from mastering this skill.
"That's enough for today", the elder said, seeing that Takeshi's vision was completely blurred, "You made good progress"
But just as he was praising his disciple, his thoughts were chaotic.
'What a monster...To think he would almost manage to reduce the impact of my blade in just a day...I thought he was just as talented as the Funato heir, but it seems like he is even more talented than him. Hell, he is even more talented than that Zabuza brat!'
Takeshi collapsed on the ground a few moments later.
"Well, he does not seem to have the Funato brat's physique, that's for sure", Otuka said while revealing a rare smile, "How far will you be able to go, really?"
After a few moments, a man entered the dojo. It was none other than Mangetsu Hozuki, one of the strongest member of the swordsmen of the mist, one who was said to have mastered three out of the seven legendary blades. His recent achievements, especially the single-handed destruction of the Kumogakure settlement in Turtle Island, had earned him respect from all Kirigakure shinobi.
Otuka was no different, and he knew that at this rate, Mangetsu would take Fuguki Suikazan's spot as the captain of the swordsmen of the mist.
"Old man, I heard you took in a disciple", he said in a curious manner, "Is it him?"
Elder Otuka squinted. The Hozuki members were all very eccentric and unpredictable. The patriarch had supported the current Sandaime Mizukage against several other prospects for no reason besides friendship, while some of their members, like Genji Hozuki, the current user of the hiramekarei blade, were capable of monstrous atrocities.
Mangetsu was, himself, a one-of-a-kind kirigakure shinobi. Unlike the other swordsmen of the mist, he was not as bloodthirsty and could be considered very loyal and respectable. If anything, it was slightly too high to Otuka's liking. Most likely, he would throw himself from a cliff if the mizukage ordered it.
"Indeed", Otuka said, "I thought I had picked a pebble stone at first, but it turned out to be worth more than that"
"Interesting", Mangetsu chuckled, "Actually, I came to rely a message from Mizukage-sama"
Otuka titled his head: "What is it?"
As always, the Mizukage did things his way and did not care about Otuka's lineage. If anything, he loathed Otuka for it, despite his achievements.
Mangetsu continued: "As you may have heard, Kumogakure has launched pre-emptive defensive formations accross the border. Tensions are very high, and skirmishes are likely to appear. He wants you to command a platoon of shinobi to protect the Island of Steel"
Otuka frowned.
Not only had he retired, the island of steel was an incredibly important resource point. Before Kirigakure had been formed, each island in the land of waters had its own clan of shinobi protecting it. The island of steel used to be the territory of the Funato clan. Descending from the 'Forging Land', they were blacksmiths before being pirates, and the seven legendary swords were made on this very island.
There was no doubt that Kumogakure would target it at some point, so defending was a must.
However, it had been more than twenty years since he had taken on a shinobi mission
"What is he thinking? I have long since retired, Mangetsu. I am an old man who just took on a disciple"
Mangetsu grinned: "Mizukage-sama thought that you might refuse, but this is for this exact reason that he decided to send you there. Only by going through life and death battles can you become a true shinobi of the mist. He thought that it would be the perfect environment for you disciple to grow"
He had a point.
All powerful figures had faced battlefields at a young age. Byakuren was one of them, caught into conflicts at the young age of 8, all the way until he died.
Otuka was incredibly weak during his days at the Kirigakure Academy. Before, it was a simple academy, far from the bloody training and education that was now passed down to its students.
The first hokage, who had shaped the continent according to his ideals, had fought with the Uchihas for decades before founding Konoha. His brother, Tobirama, had followed a similar, if not even bloodier path.
There was not a single swordsman of the mist who had reached their position without going devastating a battlefield at some point.
In this world, battle was synonymous with strength. After all, your body would be stressed to its maximum potential, and to survive, shinobi would develop new tricks.
However, it was for this exact reason that it was not necessarily the best way on the long term. Fast-paced growth would rely on tricks, while long-term training in a dojo would provide unshakable foundations.
This was most likely why the Mizukage did not order Takeshi to go there, but instead wanted him to command this platoon. There was no lack of jonins capable of endorsing this role. However, the Mizukage wanted the rise of a new candidate for the seven legendary swords. A war was near, and casualties were numerous.
The more candidates there were, the less impacting the death of one of the seven swordsmen of the mist would be on Kirigakure.
"As always, he is scheming in shadows. When are we to depart?"
Mangetsu smiled, seeing that he had successfully convinced the elder: "In a month. The duration of this mission will be roughly two years, as we cannot allow the island to fall in the hands of the enemy. Fifty genin, forty chunin and ten jonin will be under your command. Two ANBU will also monitor the situation, though they are unlikely to join the battle. They will report all Kumogakure movements for the sake of strategic measures, and will report to Mizukage-sama"
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