Chapter 25: Sabito and Giyuu
"Kanzaki-san, how did you do it?" Sabito's voice was laced with a mixture of exhaustion and sheer disbelief. "Did you really learn all that just by watching Senior Sister Makomo's moves once?"
Despite being utterly spent from his training, Sabito stared at Akira with the wide-eyed wonder of a child. If he weren't so drained of strength, Akira had no doubt the boy would have pressed his face right up to his, demanding answers.
"My eyes are special," Akira explained calmly, deciding a simple truth was best. "I can see every movement a person makes with perfect clarity and commit it all to memory. From there, all I have to do is replicate the motions and practice until they become second nature. It's just as Master Urokodaki said—this method lets me through the gate quickly, but I lack the core. You could say I possess the 'form,'but the'spirit' of the blade, the true essence of the techniques, requires guidance from others or a great deal of time spent trying to grasp it on my own."
With nothing else to do, Akira found himself chatting easily with the earnest young swordsman.
"That's still incredible," Sabito insisted, his expression one of pure awe. He thought back to the month he and Giyuu had spent under Urokodaki's tutelage. "We've been at this for a while, and we still haven't even learned the proper movements for all ten forms of Water Breathing."
"I was watching you practice earlier," Akira offered. "Your talent isn't bad at all. Your entry into the style is just a bit slower than mine, but you've already surpassed most people."
He was simply stating a fact. When he first arrived, the two boys had been practicing the First Form of Water Breathing—the very same technique he had learned from Makomo. It was easy for him to gauge their foundation. In terms of mastery over that single move, their proficiency wasn't the least bit inferior to his own.
"Besides," Akira added, "I'm only relying on these eyes to get a head start. When it comes to true mastery, I might not be any faster than you."
After all, the only technique he had ever truly comprehended on his own was Thunderclap and Flash, and that had taken a considerable amount of time. It was only because he had grasped the move's essence by himself that his mastery of Thunder Breathing had reached a level where he could use it with fluid ease.
"How could that be?" Sabito countered, his brow furrowed. "I heard Master Urokodaki say you've already mastered Total Concentration: Constant. I've only just barely touched the threshold of Water Breathing."
"I've also been training for over a year longer than you two, you know," Akira said with a wry smile. He suddenly understood how his master, Kuwajima Jigorō, must have felt whenever Akira tried to downplay his own progress.
To reach the entry-level of a Breathing Style in just one month—even for Water Breathing, which had the lowest barrier to entry—was a sign of remarkable talent.
, someone like Sabito, who focused on grasping the essence first before perfecting the physical forms, would only see his cultivation speed accelerate exponentially once he broke through. Akira had simply reversed that order, using his powerful vision to take a shortcut.
Breathing Techniques and their corresponding sword forms required a true comprehension of their essence to unleash their full power. The fundamental law of this world focused on intent first, technique second, and pure physical strength last.
That was why, in the stories, Kamado Tanjuro could, even in his final days when his body was frail and wracked with illness, still instantly behead a three-meter-tall bear.
Of course, basic physical strength determined one's upper limits. If one's body was too weak, no amount of skill or intent could be fully brought to bear.
"Speaking of which, Kanzaki-san, how old are you?" The mention of training time made Sabito's curiosity bubble over. Even Giyuu, who had been brooding silently off to the side, turned his head to listen. Akira's youthful appearance was truly deceptive.
"I'll be fourteen soon. I should be about the same age as you, right?"
A sharp hiss of indrawn breath.
"We, who have already turned fourteen, seem a bit pathetic now..." Sabito muttered, exchanging a defeated look with Giyuu. Both of them had celebrated their fourteenth birthdays just a few days prior.
"By that logic, should I, who am already fifteen, go find a hole to crawl into?" a new voice chimed in. Makomo walked into the room carrying a tray of dishes, having overheard their conversation.
"Um..." Sabito, still reeling from the age reveal, subconsciously nodded under Giyuu's astonished gaze. A second later, he realized his mistake, but it was far too late.
Makomo set the tray down with a soft clatter and strode over to Sabito. Her small hand shot out and pinched his ear, yanking him upright from his lounging posture.
"Ow, ow, ow—Senior Sister, I was wrong! Let go, it hurts, it hurts!"
"Hmph! Go wash your hands. Quickly," Makomo snorted, releasing him. She hadn't used much force. Though she had only spent about twenty days with them before leaving for the Final Selection on Fujikasane Mountain, she was fiercely protective of her two junior brothers.
As Sabito scrambled to his feet, Makomo turned her attention to the other boy. "Giyuu, get up and eat."
"Oh."
It was the first word Akira had heard Giyuu speak since he'd arrived.
Only then did Makomo's gaze shift to Akira. A faint blush touched her cheeks as she remembered her actions just now, and she wondered if she had left a violent impression on him.
"Akira, you should wash up too. It's time to eat."
"Okay, Boss Makomo," Akira replied with a grin, giving her a playful wink.
"You—!"
Makomo raised her hand as if to swat him, but Akira had already slipped past her and headed for the outdoor sink. Sabito and Giyuu followed close behind, the former flashing Akira a grateful thumbs-up.
Watching the three figures retreat, a warm, genuine smile bloomed on Makomo's face.
Dinner was a sumptuous affair, and everything tasted wonderful. Though it felt a bit impolite to think it about his own master, Akira had to admit that Urokodaki's cooking was a slight cut above Kuwajima Jigorō's.
'If you know it's impolite, then don't say it, you stinky kid!' He could almost hear his old master's indignant roar in his head.
After the meal, everyone prepared for bed. In an era with so little entertainment, deep in the mountains, there was no nightlife to speak of.
Akira had just taken off his outer coat in the guest room when a soft knock sounded at his door.
He pulled his coat back on before sliding the door open, revealing Makomo standing in the hallway.
"Is something the matter?" Akira asked, a little puzzled. Normally, a girl knocking on a boy's door in the middle of the night might spark some wild ideas, but at their current ages, there wasn't much to imagine.
"Um... well, I wanted to ask for your help, Akira," Makomo began, her voice hesitant as she looked up at him.
Akira simply watched her quietly, giving her the space she needed to continue.
"You've probably noticed it too, right? Giyuu is... a bit too quiet. He's been like this ever since Master Urokodaki brought him back. Sabito and I have tried so many times, but we haven't been able to get him to change..."
"So, you want me to help draw that withdrawn child out of his shell?" Akira summarized gently.
"Um... yes!" Although it was the first time Makomo had heard the term "withdrawn" used that way, she instantly understood its meaning and nodded emphatically. "I noticed you seem to be very good at making friends. You haven't been here long, and you're already talking and laughing with Sabito..."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she spoke. She knew she was being a bit desperate, but she felt she had to try. There was something special about Akira; she had a feeling that if anyone could do something, could change something, it was him.
"I'll give it a try," Akira said, unable to refuse as he looked into her large, watery eyes. "But I can't guarantee any results."
He paused, his expression turning serious. "Before I do anything, though, shouldn't you tell me a bit about Giyuu's past? At the very least, I need to know why he became like this."
"Yes," Makomo agreed, her own expression somber. "As far as I know..."
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]