Chapter Twenty-One: I Have Confidence

"Kurohane, would you like to learn ninjutsu from me?"

On the fourth floor of the only hospital on the island, Izumi Inoue stood before Kurohane Yi’s bed and asked.

"Yes, I want to become a powerful ninja just like you."

Kurohane Yi, lying in his hospital bed, struggled to lift his head against the edge of the mattress, looking at Izumi Inoue beside him.

"Why?" Izumi Inoue arched an eyebrow and asked coolly.

"Because only then will I have the ability to repay the debt of saving my life."

In his mind, Kurohane Yi recalled being abandoned by his parents as a child. Left alone and destitute, he had wandered into the wilderness where he encountered a ferocious wolf. Just as he was about to be mauled to death, Izumi Inoue appeared, slaying the wolf king with a single blade and rescuing him from its jaws. Thus, in Kurohane Yi’s heart, Izumi Inoue was his benefactor and his idol. He hoped that one day he, too, would be that strong; only by becoming strong could he repay that debt.

"Very well. Then I shall start by teaching you the fundamentals." Izumi Inoue stared into Kurohane Yi’s eyes, noting that beyond gratitude, there was only pure adoration. He could not help but marvel at how formidable Mariko’s forbidden techniques truly were.

"Yes."

To become a qualified ninja, beyond martial prowess, one must master the five compulsory subjects: "Food, Fragrance, Medicine, Energy, and Body," commonly known as the "Five Ways of the Ninja."

"Food" refers to a ninja’s diet...
"Fragrance" refers to a ninja’s ability to discern a person’s financial status and social standing through the scent of their clothing...
"Medicine" refers to the fact that an excellent ninja is typically also a physician and pharmacologist, skilled in using mountain herbs and plants to heal wounds and treat illnesses...
"Energy" refers to a ninja’s focus on self-cultivation, allowing them to concentrate, remain decisive and valiant, and stay composed under pressure during combat...
"Body" refers to a ninja’s emphasis on conditioning muscles and joints, combined with restorative methods like meditation, breathing, massage, and acupuncture to adapt to the demands of various combat techniques.

...

Sakai, Sugiyama, Miyazawa, and Wu Xiaohei were sitting in the first-floor lobby of the hospital, gazing up at the staircase leading to the higher floors, their eyes filled with worry. Their current strength only allowed them access to the first floor.

"Instructor, how is Kurohane doing?"

The instructor who had been in charge of their training for the past two years walked down from the second floor.

"He is fine now. All of you should head back. You’ve been here for several days, and your training has been neglected," the instructor said as he approached them.

"Is he really alright?" Sakai and Sugiyama asked again, unable to fully believe it.

"He is. Lady Mariko treated him personally." When the instructor mentioned Lady Mariko, his eyes were filled with longing. That woman, possessing both beauty and power—he hoped that in his lifetime, he might one day be promoted to the third floor and have the privilege of being treated by Lady Mariko just once; that would be something worth boasting about.

"Lady Mariko? Is she a very skilled doctor?" Haruna Sakai asked.

"Indeed. She is the personal divine healer for the Clan Head, possessing medical skills so profound they can bring the dead back to life. That minor injury of Kurohane’s is nothing to her; he has been successfully treated, and now all that remains is careful recuperation," the instructor boasted.

They had no idea how high Akari Mariko’s medical skills truly were, as they had no qualifications to be treated by her. They had only heard rumors that those on the third floor who had returned from high-risk missions with grave injuries, hovering at death’s door, had been fortunate enough to receive her treatment and had recovered completely without exception.

Hearing this, they felt relieved.

"Instructor, why must we be separated? Isn’t it better for us to train together?" Wu Xiaohei complained in a low voice. They had received notice two days ago that they were being assigned individual instructors for specialized guidance. Separated, she could no longer slack off; if she didn’t finish her training, there would be no one to secretly slip her food.

"This is an arrangement from above, and it is for your own good. Those providing individual guidance are the great masters from the third floor—the diamond-tier figures of our Iga clan. Being mentored by them is your honor."

Perhaps because they might not meet again, the usually cold and heartless instructor spoke more than usual, knowing his students of two years were being handed over to others.

"Can we not go up?" Minami Miyazawa looked at the staircase, clenching her fists.

"Want to go up? Then learn well from your new teachers!" The instructor gave them a cold smile.

"We will definitely make it up there." Sugiyama, Haruna Inoue, Minami Miyazawa, and Wu Xiaohei spoke in unison.

Those waiting on the first floor for treatment glanced at them with strange expressions, but did not move. They were just children; having a goal was good, though it remained to be seen how far they would go in the future. They, too, had once yearned to reach the third or even the fourth floor, but now, most of them only hoped to reach the second.

"Go now. Kurohane’s injuries won’t heal in a day, and once he recovers, he will be sent directly to his new instructor for training; he won’t be coming down to see you. I am taking you to meet your new instructors now. Prepare yourselves—the training you are about to receive will be far more grueling than mine."

Time flies like a white horse passing a crack in the wall, and two years passed in a flash.

Beneath a torrential waterfall, a shirtless youth held a nearly two-meter bronze sword, repeating the same motions over and over: hacking, slashing. Each time he swung, the veins on Kurohane Yi’s arms bulged, a testament to the weight of the bronze sword. Under the youth’s strikes, the waterfall was cleaved into a rift, the water churning, only to seal itself back up moments after the blade passed.

The youth’s hair and body were soaked by the spray. Under the scorching sun, the water provided a touch of coolness. His efforts were no longer just proven by sweat; the increasingly solid muscles and the fading white scars on his body were proof that Kurohane Yi had not wasted the last two years.

The sun passed directly over the waterfall, shifting toward the west. The bronze sword he had been wielding was now planted firmly into the water on the side, unmoved by the crashing current. Kurohane Yi continued his repetitive strikes. The bronze sword had been replaced by a wooden one—shorter and thinner than the bronze, a sword that seemed light, a sword that appeared as if it would be snapped by the waterfall at any moment.

Yet, Kurohane Yi used this wooden sword to create the same effect on the waterfall as the bronze one: the same whistling sound through the air, the same destructive force, the same precision, the same speed, and the same amount of water splashed with every strike. This was the fruit of Kurohane Yi’s two years of training.

At night, the clear water reflected the starry sky like a river of light.

"Kurohane, time to eat." Izumi Inoue, wearing wooden clogs and carrying a bamboo basket, walked to the lakeshore where Kurohane Yi was training and set the basket down on a large rock.

"Ya—"

Kurohane Yi’s eyes shifted. Through the dim moonlight, he caught the reflection of Izumi Inoue in the water. He swung his sword down, but just as the blade was about to strike the reflection, he pivoted his body, stepped onto the surface of the lake, and lunged toward Izumi Inoue.

When he was two meters from the shore, Kurohane Yi pushed off, vaulted into the air, and brought his sword down toward Izumi Inoue, who stood on the bank.

Watching the aggressive approach, Izumi Inoue did not dodge. He smiled slightly and raised his left hand.

"Master, watch out!" Kurohane Yi, having practiced this move for two years, knew its power. While it seemed insignificant against the raging waterfall, in reality, it could cleave a tree nearly half a meter in diameter.

Izumi Inoue didn’t move, his eyes precisely tracking the trajectory of the blade. He extended his index and middle fingers, catching the tip of the wooden sword firmly. Just as Izumi Inoue was about to speak, a smirk tugged at the corner of Kurohane Yi’s mouth. He gripped the hilt tighter, using it as a pivot point, and rotated his body forty-five degrees, launching a flying kick at Izumi Inoue with the momentum.

"Thud."

Izumi Inoue extended his right hand and stepped back with his right foot to steady himself, blocking the flying kick.

"Splash."

Izumi Inoue suddenly exerted force with his right hand while releasing the tip of the wooden sword with his left. Kurohane Yi’s body was sent flying along with the wooden sword, tumbling into the lake.

"Haha! Master, you finally used your right hand!" Kurohane Yi struggled to stand up in the lake, looking disheveled as he wiped his face and grinned at Izumi Inoue.

"Tch. Come up and eat." Izumi Inoue turned away, his tone indifferent. He walked to the rock, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips, and opened the lid of the basket to serve the food.

"Wow, it smells great. Is that chicken?" Kurohane Yi sniffed the air, caught the aroma, and hurried out of the lake to the rock.

"Here, wipe yourself." Izumi Inoue picked up the white towel from the basket and tossed it onto the head of Kurohane Yi, who was about to reach for a chicken leg.

"Oh." Kurohane Yi used his left hand to wipe his head while using his right to grab the chicken leg and take a large bite. The energy required for such high-intensity daily training was immense.

"Kurohane, after two years of training, it is time for you to understand your own strength. How about I take you to spar with someone tomorrow?" Izumi Inoue did not eat with him; instead, he took a thermos from the basket, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Kurohane Yi, who was devouring his food.

"Oh? Is it with Sugiyama and the others? I haven't seen them in a long time. I wonder how strong they are now." Kurohane Yi put down the towel, took the tea cup, chewed the mouthful of food in a chaotic hurry, took a sip of tea, and swallowed it all together.

"Not them, nor anyone from Iga. It’s with another ninjutsu school: Koga."

"Koga? Koga... Iga... sounds like they might be quite powerful."

"What? No confidence? Or do you doubt what your master has taught you?"

"No, I have confidence."