Chapter 32
Yahiko didn't expect to miss Konan and Nagato so much. He sure got too attached to them over the years. Now he was on his own for a couple of months, and he missed their presence beside him. He felt quite lonely without them around.
But he could only wonder what they were doing right now as he finished fixing the roof of the temple. He was way too tired of the rain getting inside and the sound of the water dripping down and hitting the floor while he tried to sleep.
He was used to the cold, as he had lived here through the winter. But lately, every little thing seemed to irritate him. It was harder and harder to concentrate. And his lazy teacher wasn't particularly interested in teaching Yahiko much.
"You are already strong enough and can get stronger by yourself. I don't see any reason to waste my limited time teaching you anything."
That was what he always told him when he asked for some teachings or at least some tips. But he didn't refuse Yahiko from staying with him and watching Master Isshin as he trained his swordsmanship. Sometimes it even seemed like he was showing his techniques to Yahiko on purpose.
Either way, Yahiko's excitement to learn the sword quickly dissipated, and now he felt even more lost than he was before he came to this place. Well, that's what he got for thinking only of what was cool and seeking strength without thinking things through.
Though it wasn't that bad. Master Isshin was quite a lazy person, spending his days drinking, reading poetry, and occasionally swinging his sword. Yahiko, in the meantime, couldn't accept living in this rundown place.
So, he cleaned; he fixed the gates and fence. And now, he had finished his work on the roof too. When he wasn't working on something, he was cooking. He would rather die than eat rice and beans every day. No matter how lazy one was, the least they could do was cook something delicious for themselves.
Stretching his sore limbs, Yahiko looked at the sunset from the top of the temple. The Grave of Swords was beautifully lit up by the sunlight, and the still-sharp blades reflected the light brilliantly. Sadly, the story behind those swords diminished the beauty in his eyes.
He wondered what it was like for Master Isshin to be surrounded by them all the time. They were his comrades, his subordinates. And now, the only thing left of them was their swords. If Yahiko already missed Konan and Nagato, how much did the old man miss his comrades?
Climbing down, Yahiko found Master Isshin sleeping while leaning against the wall and still holding a bottle of sake. Putting a blanket on him, Yahiko took the sword Master Isshin gave him and started practicing.
He could only imitate what he saw Master Isshin do, without knowing if he did it right or not. But it was fine; it was just another way to physically train himself. And as Jiraiya said, he needed to do far more physical training for his chakra to balance out.
So far, he hadn't encountered a situation where his deformity was harmful to him, but it always paid to be careful with these things. So, he continued to swing his sword until night fell, changing stances and reviewing whether they felt right or not.
Picking up an apple, he threw it into the air. As it rose, Yahiko took up a stance, and as it fell before his face, he drew the sword and cut it. To him, the apple fell very slowly. And yet, even though he could see it, the cut wasn't perfect.
It was crooked and only cut part of the apple. He was aiming to split it in half, but he just couldn't do it. Was it the movement of his wrist? He tried holding the sword in various ways, but nothing felt right. Or was it something else, something he couldn't see or feel out?
"Swords, kunai, shuriken, and the rest of the weapons we use are nothing but tools for killing." Master Isshin had woken up at some point and had only now decided to reveal it. "They are useless in any other aspect. So, use them to do what they were made for. So far, you have only tried to cut when you should have tried to kill."
As always, Master Isshin didn't even try to explain what he meant. So, Yahiko could only take his words and try to understand them himself, with no luck so far. But he had plenty of time to try and fail.
No matter how many times he had to repeat the same motion, he would not stop until he managed to do as he wished with this sword. He was just too stubborn to give up on it. He was going to cut the apple perfectly in half, no matter how long it would take him.
…
It seemed that because of him, more and more people were trying to visit Master Isshin. Of course, none of them could set foot on the temple grounds. But they never gave up, since they saw that Yahiko was with Isshin and thought they could also talk to him.
At first, Yahiko was confused about who they were or why they came, but it didn't take long to realize. Nobles of the Land of Iron were trying to use Master Isshin for their own ambitions. Of course, none of the nobles came there themselves; it was always the messengers.
It took a lot of effort from Yahiko to stop Master Isshin from killing them as they came. He couldn't talk him out of it and could only block the vicious sword strikes that threatened to cut anyone else into pieces.
Though Yahiko was surprised by how quickly he got used to that scary-fast sword in only half a year. Though he still couldn't see it, he was able to react to it quite effectively. Even if he could only block it, imitating it was still far too hard for him.
"Little rats, Mifune should have cut them all apart long ago," Master Isshin liked to complain, especially when he had a few drinks in. "Well, there have always been rats, and there always will be."
When it came to anything political, Master Isshin ran hot this summer. He certainly didn't want to get involved in anything anymore, and just the thought of it seemed to irritate him. So, Yahiko worked overtime to chase away anyone who came there before they even got close to the temple grounds.
And yet, people still found ways to insert themselves into their lives. Pretending to be tourists coming to see the temple or sending messages through the supplies they got from the city. Yahiko weeded them all out without letting Master Isshin even catch a whiff of it.
He seemed to be in a bad mood lately, so Yahiko didn't want him to get even more irritated. Apart from that, though, Yahiko liked his time watching Master Isshin practice his swordsmanship and then trying to imitate it.
And even though it took months, Yahiko had finally understood what Master Isshin meant when he said that he should use his sword as it was intended. If it were an apple or anything else, to effectively use the sword, one needed to treat whatever they wanted to cut with the hostility to kill.
When wielding a sword, there was no room for hesitation or wavering of the heart. From the moment the sword was drawn, it had to move in one motion with one intention, and it couldn't stop until it was sheathed once again.
At least, that's what he thought, as Master Isshin didn't comment on it. At times like this, he wondered why he was even there. But then again, what difference would it make if he were anywhere else? He was learning what he wanted, and that was all that mattered.
…
The wind was howling loudly today. It was vicious and went through everything. The leaves fell from the trees surrounding the temple and were then lifted into the air once again. Every time a leaf was in the air, it was cut in half by Yahiko's sword.
With sweaty palms, tired arms, and red eyes from exhaustion, Yahiko continued cutting the leaves that flew around him. There was no pattern to them; he couldn't predict where one would be, so he had to strain his eyesight and move his sword fast enough to catch them.
"Don't forget to rake it all after you're done," Master Isshin said as he watched Yahiko while drinking.
Did he ever stop drinking? Yahiko didn't remember a time when he did, as he always had a bottle in his hands. And with that, Yahiko's concentration was gone, and he collapsed on the ground. Still, he was happy, as for the first time, he managed to imitate Master Isshin's swordsmanship.
But that was all it was, just an imitation of what he saw. To cut through the air like Master Isshin, he had a long way to go. Good thing he had a lot of time. So, after catching his breath, Yahiko stood up and continued his training.
It was a grind, repeating the same movement thousands of times. Still, he found it endearing and peaceful to do so. His physical strength rose steadily, too. He could feel his body growing stronger.
Though most of it was because of the chores he had to do. Cleaning the temple, carrying water from the nearby river to the temple, gathering wood for the fireplace to keep the inside warm, and also going outside the temple to get supplies for them, as nobody else could enter the temple grounds.
When he wasn't practicing his swordsmanship and taking care of Master Isshin, there was always something else to do. There wasn't a day he could rest or take it easy. Though sometimes he found it all a bit too tiring, he still enjoyed this peaceful life.
…
Before Yahiko realized it, a year had already passed. As he shoveled the snow from the temple grounds, he was reminded of what he had done in the past year. Not much, really; he had just practiced swordplay and done chores for Master Isshin.
As time passed, he found himself wondering about Konan and Nagato; he hadn't heard anything from them during his rare visits to the city. But he wasn't that worried about them. As he was working on something he wanted, he was sure they were too.
Just as he finished clearing the temple grounds of snow, he looked up to see more of it falling from the sky. With a defeated sigh, Yahiko went back to the temple to warm up. This winter was even colder than the previous one.
"I told you not to bother with it," Master Isshin said once Yahiko returned inside. "The snow will keep falling and piling up. Leave it be, and when spring comes, it will melt away, as it always has. There is no need for anyone to concern themselves with natural things happening around them."
"I am sure it will." Yahiko didn't argue. "But in the meantime, I would rather not walk in the snow and get my boots and feet wet and cold."
"A selfish desire of a human being."
"As long as it doesn't hurt anyone, I don't see a problem with desires," Yahiko replied. "What would you like to eat today, Master Isshin? Steak? Chicken?"
"Don't care."
Yahiko learned one thing more than anything else: Master Isshin was tired. At first, Yahiko thought he was just a grumpy old man. But it wasn't hard to see through his shell. The deaths of his comrades were still weighing on him. And he was too tired of it all.
And maybe Mifune knew that too; that's why he sent him here. To watch over the old man, even for a bit. Yahiko didn't mind it. As time passed and as he got better at using the sword, Yahiko realized that even if Master Isshin didn't say anything, he was still teaching him.
Isshin's practice with the sword was a show for Yahiko. Every time Yahiko got used to the techniques shown, he would change them and show something different, always waiting for Yahiko to learn them first. And so the days slowly passed by.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.