Bab 4: Total concentration
When I came to, I found myself face up on the boulder, staring at the cloudy sky through the leaves of the wisteria tree.
The pain in my muscles and head disappeared but my lungs still ached with every breath.
"You idiot, what did I tell you"
"Shut up old man" I said, my words barely a whisper
"You cheeky brat. Go train before you talk to me again. If you look for me before then I'll tell on you"
"Fuck"
Creating a training regimen didn't take much effort, I had done this multiple times in my past life. The only problems I encountered is not having any weights and not having any space to do any running. Unless I wanted to look like a maniac running around the house.
Thus I decided to join my dad and brother in their training.
"Dad can I train with you and tatsuya please? Please?" I employed my 7 year old kid charm for ensure he agrees
"Sorry kid, you're too young and small" My dad said while laughing and putting his hand on my head
He was right, I was rather small for a kid my age. The snow white hair and pale skin didn't help me look particularly strong either.
"I don't want to play with the sword like big bro, I want muscles like you dad" I said as a last ditch effort.
"I guess as long as you don't ever go near the swords I can make something work. You have to ask your mom first though ok?"
"Thank you!" I ran up to my dad and hugged him
The following months consisted of waking up at ungodly hours to work out in my room by doing a mixture of push-ups, sit ups and different calisthenic exercises to make up for the lack of weights.
The rest of my day consented of following my dad and brother around. This was the only time where I could step foot outside the house and notice that we weren't actually on a mountain but in the middle of a village instead.
'Shitty place this is huh'
Our mansion resided at the center of the town, surrounded by tightly packed houses and paved cobblestone roads. Though that wasn't evident from one of the windows in the house as the land surrounding the house stretched at least a few hundred meters, encompassing several training grounds, living quarters for servants and workers and workstations.
Every day we headed to one of the training grounds closer to the house. After a warmup, dad would make me complete several laps of the grounds immediately followed by obstacle courses to "Increae stamina and agility".
In reality though, all I did was get exhausted until I couldn't move properly then get hit in the face by some logs and get thrown off the obstacles course that was raised a few meters off the ground.
While I got tortured, dad started showing Tatsuya different sword techniques followed by light sparring while Tatsuya was forced to repeat the techniques until he got them right, getting thrown around in the process.
After a while, other people started swarming around the grounds, warming up before joining me in my laps. They then started sparring with eachother, using bamboo sticks instead of real swords.
Occasionally, my brother would participate in these duels, dominating the opponent every time.
Tatsuya's build was very similar to our father's, tall and with a shit ton of muscle. Dad had trained Tatsuya for the better part of 5 years so him displaying such skill in swordplay was to be expected.
"Dont get too conceited Tatsuya, just because you beat some cadet doesn't mean you're any good. You've yet to beat me once. I personally think you need even more training if you want to join the army"
Tatsuya's face drained of all its color thinking about all the hellish training awaiting him. It was a funny sight to look at.
"I don't see you moving Yuuki" Dad yelled at me even though I was standing behind him.
"Yes sir" I said, then went back to trying to conquer the obstacle course
"They sure do grow fast don't they sir. I remember a few months ago when yuki was just a scrawny kid" One of dad's aides said
"He sure did make fantastic progress, as a father I couldn't be more proud of him, especially as he is still very young. This type of work ethic isn't something I regularly see even in most of these cadets" He placed special emphasis on that last phrase to get the recruits moving.
"Don't you think its time you started training him in swordplay? If he starts now I'm sure he'll become someone great"
"Hell I wish, but that shitty geezer places places special emphasis on not letting yukiko near a sword.
I guess 2 swordsmen in the younger generation is too much for him"
"Whats with gramps and swords" Tatsuya asked, barging in on their conversation.
"All I know is that he was part of a special corp which was never disclosed, then one day something happened which made him never want to pick up a sword again."
"Hah, old man probably got scared of the battlefield and ran off at the first sight of blood.. Owowow" Tatsuya's slander was interupted by his ear being tugged at by dad.
"Dont say that, that man could probably still take out all of us at the same time regardless of the cranky bones and wrinkly skin"
"Right, I'm sure gramps is that strong"
"What are you still doing here Tatsuya, drop down and give me 40 right now and go back to training"
"Yes sir.." He reluctantly followed the order
Another few months passed andso did my birthday, which I have to keep myself as no one in this world seems to have any concept of birthdays.
Because of the training with dad, I could finally see results as my body finally started becoming sturdier and my stamina drastically increased. Muscles could be seen on my arms and legs, along with scars on my back and arms.
Finally, I felt as though enough progress had been made. I snuck out of my room in the dead of night and started wandering the halls again until I found the exit that lead to the garden. The same brilliant purple wisteria trees guided my way to the boulder.
"I see you're back, brat." The old man said with an amused expression
I looked at him with a glare
"This better be enough old man"
"Tsk tsk, always impatient. No matter how much training you do, it will never be enough. You can always train more, become stronger. You cannot hope to achieve in a few months what others have achieved after years of training.
I expected you to come back at least 3 years later. But seeing as you came back this early, you must be ready to face the consequences of your foolishness.
Come, sit next to me brat. Let's see if you're truly read or if you've been blinded by arrogance."
His words cut deep, like a searing hot knife cutting through butter. It was true, I always chose the easy path in life, never trying to achieve too much, never working hard. The price I paid last time was being subjected to a life of monotony. This time around I might have to pay with my life.
I sat down next to him, crossing my legs and placing my hands palms up on my knees.
"Inhale deeply, let the air fill up every last cell of your body. Then rip it away by exhaling sharply, but never unevenly."
'Inhale deeply, let the air fill your lungs, exhale deeply'
This time I felt no pain. I felt my body becoming lighter and lighter with every breath I took, my mind becoming clearer and more focused. I felt power flow through every fiber of my being.
A slight feeling of lightheadedness accompanied by a rising pain coursing through my lungs broke my concentration, leaving me heaving and gasping for air like I just got my wind punched out of me.
"Take that you stupid geezer, I don't know what happened but it worked" I said in triumph, with my back on the boulder and hand clutching my chest.
Grandpa had been staring at me as though he saw ghost.
"This can't be. You're not supposed to be able to do it" He said, stumbling over his words, his eyes wide open
"But I did do it. I'm a fucking genius" I laughed
"Don't get conceited you brat. What you managed to do was merely the first step of the first step. You've got a long way ahead of you." He said, clearing his throat
"Does that mean you'll train me?" I said expectedly
"I'll only say this once you shit faced kid so listen close. What you did shouldn't be possible, wasting a talent such as yours would be the biggest crime i could ever commit against this world"
"Is it really that big of a deal? Didn't you say I didn't have what it takes?" I aske skeptical of all the high praise
"Somone who learned total concentration by merely observing someone else is worthy of praise, not to mention doing so while still being a child
Usually, you'd have to go through years of physical training before being able to learn the technique, even then most people never fully grasp it.
As for your second question, yes, I still don't think you have what it takes. Don't worry though. I'm going to give you what it takes."
The next 3 months consisted of the same routine, only this time I had to spend the whole night practicing breathing with gramps on a boulder.
The obstacle courses dad made me do become easier for me until I could flawlessly complete them in one go.
Using total concentration not only helped my focus but helped my body become faster and stronger, now being able to do exercises for longer durations of time all while keeping up total concentration around the clock.
After the months passed, I could feel my physical abilities have improved leaps and bounds above what is normal for an 8 year old. I could outrun most of the cadets as well as outpace them, which caused many to become envious.
But it wasn't enough.
"When are we gonna get to sword training. I'm dying to use the sword techniques my father uses." I desperately pleaded
"Those brutish hacks and slashes with no concern for the blade itself? You're better off going barehand kid" Gramps said, clicking his tongue
"Well then show me the proper way to use a sword you geezer"
"You're being impatient again."
"You don't have to teach me, just please show me once"
"I told you to wait"
"Please gramps just once"
"SHUT UP YOU STUPID BRAT" he shouted while pointing his finger at me. His face red with anger
"Fine, you asked for it" He said while getting up and walking towards the back of the boulder.
Then one sword came flying from the direction he dissappear from. I caught the sword and held it in my hands, slightly unsheathing it seeing and seeing the silvery color of the blade.
"Draw the blade" He calmly said
I snapped out of my admiration for the sword and drew the katana from its scabbard.
"Be careful, that thing's a masterpiece 1000 of your souls wouldn't be enough to pay for
Now, use the techniques you saw your father use"
I rushed toward the opponent, my sword pointed downwards toward the ground. The moment I got close enough to gramps I lifted the blade over my head, grabbing the handle with both hands, left hand below to guide the blade and right hand on top to provide the power. Then I swung down.
"Total concentration, Water breathing first form, water surface slash"
My blade didn't even move and inch before being cut cleanly, barely missing the opponents head after it was swung down. The severed part of the blade landed next to me a few agonizingly long seconds later.
"Did you learn nothing?! You didn't even use total concentration. This is what I mean, your impulses control you kid. "
'What was that' I thought. My eyes wide open in disbelief
"If you focused instead of charging forward like a bull, I wouldn't have cut straight through your sword and you wouldn't be standing there with that look on your face"
"What was that" I asked, voicing my thoughts
"Something that, at this rate, you'll never learn."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone