Chapter 54: Kenjutsu
Dinner with Ino was definitely something extremely entertaining.
Now that I was able to consider her as more than an NPC, it was nice to be able to actually just sit down and talk to someone.
Ever since I have been inside of this world, I have just been grinding and training, but for 1 meal I felt like I was inside of my old world, just talking to a friend.
"It was nice having dinner with you, Ino." I told her honestly since it was a pleasant time for me.
"It was nice for me too Shikomu, how about we do this a little more often?" She asked the second part as her voice went slightly smaller.
"Sure, I don't mind at all."
"Great, then find me tomorrow and take me somewhere new!" She squealed in slight excitement and then left.
I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction which was cute, since all we did was eat dinner together.
The bar in the Ninja world was really on the ground huh.
"There you are!" I heard Yuki call out to me in panic as he reached me.
As he saw me, I realized that he was panicking massively. His entire face was filled with sweat and he seemed like his heart was beating at a million miles an hour.
"Not here." I signaled him to be quiet since we were in a public area with a lot of people around us.
He nodded while trying to calm down as he saw me motioning him to calm down.
And we soon reached our normal training location where he immediately began to ask me in a tone of panic.
"Shikomu, did you know about this before?" He asked as he grabbed my shoulders.
"No, I only found out after I had gotten my aspect."
He paused for a second as he heard that, and I could tell what he was thinking.
"You wouldn't have believed me even if I told you, and you wouldn't have taken the S-rank quest." I told him.
"You could have tried, I might have awakened a way more important aspect! If everyone in their world begins awakening high ranking aspects…"
"Yuki, you need to think about it more realistically." I told him. "The casual players won't even be able to attempt the B-rank quests, since most of them speedrun. You already know how hard most quests are, you just really lucked out."
"You're not wrong…"
After I calmed him down a little more, Yuki and I sat down on the floor and stared at the dark sky for a while.
"So what do we do?" He questioned, looking towards me for advice on how to move forward.
"Well we know for sure that at least the top guilds know what is going on." I told him, to which he nodded, since what I said made sense.
"Higher ups of the world should also know, that is why they are selling the state of the art full dive pods for the cost price of manufacturing."
Yuki once again nodded.
"So we need to build our own forces. A group that is able to compete with the great guilds that have lasted since the start of the Apocalypse."
"And why is that?" He questioned.
"Everyone in the world is amassing weapons, we should obviously do the same. We don't have a right to ask questions unless we have guns as big or bigger than theirs." I told him.
"We need to get Ayumi a pod as well, you know." I told him to which he frowned a little and seemed to go into thought.
"My father clearly knows more than he is letting on. After talking to him, I will see what I can do about providing Ayumi with a pod."
I nodded at that.
"Now that you know the truth, I hope that you can stick by my side." I told him to which Yuki smiled a little.
"Are you crazy? It is obvious you are keeping up with the top guilds as a solo-player. If I join them, I will just become one of many which won't get any information whatsoever. With you, as a founding member, I know we will have control over what we both do.``
At least he was much smarter than most people in this world.
…
The following morning inside of my training ground, I was there at sharply 4am, and was slightly surprised to see Sora Takahashi.
His eyes that were like thin vertical slits were looking down on me calmly and he wasn't even giving me any instructions.
We both looked at each other for a while, neither backing down from staring at each other.
After a while, he unfolded his hands and unsheathes the sword that was on his back as he turned away from me, allowing me to view him from a side angle.
"Kenjutsu isn't just about swinging your sword." He said, as he used his sword to point at the surroundings.
"You have to keep track of the environment, your speed, your opponents speed. Reflexes, footwork, emotions during the battle, the condition of your body and about a thousand other things.'
As he said that his body tensed a little as he disappeared from where he was standing.
The morning light began to filter through the leaves, casting a dappled glow across the training ground.
The silence was broken only by the soft rustling of the wind through the trees.
Sora reappeared several meters away, his sword raised in a graceful arc. His movements were fluid, almost otherworldly, as if he were part of the breeze itself. The blade gleamed in the early light, a reflection of his mastery and the countless hours he had dedicated to his craft.
With a swift motion, Sora initiated a series of strikes. Each cut was precise, calculated, and executed with an elegance that belied the lethal intent behind it.
His footwork was impeccable, gliding across the ground with barely a whisper of sound. The sword danced in his hands, moving in perfect harmony with his body. Every twist, every pivot, every step was a testament to his deep understanding of Kenjutsu.
His strikes were not merely about strength but about the finesse and control that came with years of disciplined practice.
As he continued, Sora's movements became a blur, his speed almost too much for the eye to follow. Yet, there was no sense of haste or recklessness.
Each motion was deliberate, each cut designed to flow seamlessly into the next. He demonstrated a series of slashes, the sword moving in defensive and offensive arcs with the same ease.
Very clearly, he had an image of a specific type of enemy he was trying to fight. The way he moved also caused me to imagine the enemy itself.
It was as if he were weaving a tapestry of steel, each thread interlocking with the next to form a complete and unbroken whole.
His body seemed to predict the flow of battle, adjusting and reacting with an instinctual precision.
Then, Sora leapt into the air, the sword flashing in a wide arc as he descended. The strike landed with a resounding thud, the impact sending a shockwave through the ground.
He landed lightly, poised and ready for the next movement. It was a breathtaking display, a symphony of motion and stillness, power and grace.
As he finally sheathed his sword, there was a moment of absolute silence, the world seeming to hold its breath in reverence for the artistry that had just been witnessed.
"What did you see?" He questioned me, as his eyes landed onto me.
"I could see that you had a mental image of someone you were trying to fight." I told him, to which a slight smile appeared on his face.
"I am glad that you were able to figure that out so quickly, my own disciple took 1 week to see."
He then used his hand to wave around at the surroundings and continued to ask his questions.
"And what did this 'someone,' seem like to you?"
I tried to visualize the surroundings a bit more and replay the fight inside of my head.
But whenever I did so, it felt as if something was blocking the visualization, not allowing me to see the whole picture.
"It's fine if you can't tell." He told me as he unsheathed his sword again.
"Since the first part of your training is to be able to see what I was fighting against."
I smirked slightly at the prospect of a battle and manifested an Odeachi from the shadows surrounding me.
It was time for me to properly learn how to use a sword.
Authors note:
Give me those power stones guys :)))
You can read some chapters ahead if you want to on my p#treon.com/Fat_Cultivator