Chương 24: Haze Dojo Training (4)
Two days passed, with little progress on the A-rank chain quest [Trial of Steel II]
However, I knew I was undergoing incredible changes.
[Logs]
[You have endured extreme strength training. Your strength increases by 1 point]
[You have witnessed the swordsmanship of a grandmaster. Your proficiency in the skill [Mist Kenjutsu Art] increases by 3 points]
[You have received extensive injuries and recovered. Your vitality increases by 2 points]
[You have finished the water stirring exercise. Your chakra control rises slightly]
[You have defeated Biwa Funato ten times in a row. You have earned the talent Funato Martial Body (Low). Every month, a random physical stat will increase by 1 point]
[You have witnessed the swordsmanship of a grandmaster. Your proficiency in the skill [Mist Kenjutsu Art] increases by 3 points]
Biwa was still my rival, and my master had allowed me to challenge him to monitor my progress. After just one day of training with Otuka, however, Biwa was no longer capable of handling my blows. The only reason why he could somehow match me in the past was the overwhelming difference of stats.
However, I had levelled up many times after gaining 10 000 EXP, my talent in kenjutsu rose to 'High', and I had learned a B-rank skill, something that only chunin had access to usually. In addition to that, my ninjutsu had become significantly more lethal as my reserves in chakra had reached mid-chunin level.
In other words, the mission that had given me trouble for the past months, had been easily completed.
I had gained a new talent, a semblance of the Funato bloodline, one that was tempered with piracy and smithery, both professions requiring a tough body. After generations, a natural selection provided stronger body to its descendants, which explained Biwa's overwhelming stats for someone who still had the levels of an elite genin.
Although the talent had low value, it would provide me unbelievable gains. Fast-forwarding in ten years, it would provide me 120 points of stats, which was enough to make the difference between a jonin and an elite jonin in certain aspects.
However, my focus was not on stats, levels, or proficiency.
I was desperately trying to do something deeper, to learn a kenjutsu passive skills that was unique to the Haze Dojo: Water Flow;
At first, his words had seemed like riddles: "To be strong is to be fluid; to be invincible is to be nothing."
I had thought he spoke of the strength in adaptability, but now I realized it was something deeper, something fundamental.
It wasn't just about moving with the flow; it was about understanding the flow itself—the very nature of movement, resistance, and redirection. I closed my eyes and let the sensations wash over me, not just of the water, but of every sparring session, every duel, every injury. The memories flowed through me like the river, each one a lesson in the way force meets force.
And then it struck me: the essence of water flow wasn't just in the movement; it was in the way the water accepted, redirected, and turned the energy of anything that opposed it. The river wasn't strong because it resisted the stone; it was strong because it moved around it, using the stone's own shape to deepen its path.
In that instant, I understood. My kenjutsu, my blade—it wasn't just a weapon to strike with; it was a tool to channel the energy of my opponents. Their force, their aggression, could be turned back on them with the slightest shift of my stance, the faintest flick of my wrist. I could become as fluid and as unbreakable as water itself, not by overpowering my enemies, but by becoming the mirror that reflects their own strength back at them.
When I opened my eyes, Elder Otuka was watching me, his expression inscrutable. But there was a glint in his eyes, a recognition that I had grasped the lesson he had been waiting for me to understand. He nodded, just once, a gesture that spoke more than any words ever could. I had taken the first true step into mastery—not just of the blade, but of the way of water itself. My defense would now be a thing of legend, not because it was impenetrable, but because it was impossible to strike against.
[You have grasped the essence of the B-rank skill [Water Flow]. Your mastery in kenjutsu rises by 12 points]
[Your agility rises by 1 point]
[Your reputation with Elder Otuka rises by 250 points...]
[Your talent in Kenjutsus rises slightly...]
[You have completed the A-rank Quest Trial of the Steel II. You have unlocked a new A-rank mission]
[You have earned 10000 EXP...]
[You have spent 8000 EXP to upgrade your [Water Affinity] to 'High']
[You have levelled up]
[...]
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