The sun was setting in the west. A long shadow stretched across the training field behind the Konoha Embassy, where Hotaru Tsuchigumo was still throwing shuriken. Practicing a thousand throws of shuriken was a daunting challenge, especially for a young girl who had never engaged in such high-intensity training before.
It would be easy to give up halfway.
But—
Hotaru Tsuchigumo showed surprising determination. She had been throwing shuriken since the afternoon, braving the sun's lingering heat until the sun was almost set. She hadn't taken a single break, enduring her drowsiness and the intense pain in her arms, and maintaining a perfect throwing posture each time.
"Hayate, what do you think?"
In the corridor under the eaves, Sōgen moved with silent steps until he was behind Hayate Gekkō, who was intently watching Hotaru's training. The dark-eyed youth jumped, the sword at his back half-drawn, before he realized it was Sōgen who approached. He exhaled with relief. "Sir, you…really scared me!"
"Your vigilance could be a bit sharper, and your drawing speed could use improvement. If you've got time, focus on practicing your sword-drawing technique. You learned the Konoha-style swordsmanship formulated by the Second Hokage, right? If I recall correctly, it has three types of sword draws. For you… 'Moon Caress' would suit you best. Focus on that, and you'll gain a lot. Your family should have some teachings on that, no?"
Sōgen offered this advice casually.
The so-called Konoha-style swordsmanship wasn't something the Second Hokage created from scratch; rather, Tobirama Senju compiled various sword techniques he had gathered, refining and combining them into the comprehensive Konoha-style. Originally, the Second Hokage designed this technique as part of the curriculum for ANBU training.
However, he found the complete Konoha-style too intricate and profound to be used as standard ANBU curriculum. Ultimately, it was passed down only to a few of his disciples and some members of his Shadow Guard, one of whom was from the Gekkō clan, specifically Hayate's grandfather.
As for how Sōgen came to know all this—
It was simple. Uchiha Kagami was also a student of the Second Hokage.
Though his life was cut short, Uchiha Kagami was undoubtedly a genius. He mastered the Konoha-style swordsmanship and left notes in the Uchiha clan. But the Uchiha clan had their own sword technique, Uchiha-style swordsmanship, refined over generations with the help of the Sharingan and adapted to the clan's strengths.
Truthfully, the Konoha-style swordsmanship didn't interest many in the Uchiha clan—except for a small group who were passionate about swordsmanship. Sōgen didn't have a particular passion for it.
He'd devoted time to it, mainly because he felt it worked well with his talent, "The Knight Does Not Die Unarmed."
Although this connection didn't yield any tangible benefits, his sword skills were instrumental in surviving the Third Great Ninja War.
"'Moon Caress'… our family's techniques don't include that."
Hayate shook his head.
"They don't?"
Sōgen hesitated for a second before realizing that not everyone could master the entirety of Konoha-style swordsmanship like Uchiha Kagami did.
Currently, families like the Gekkō who practiced the Konoha-style only knew a portion of it.
Besides the Uchiha clan, the only other families with the full Konoha-style were Sarutobi and Shimura. The complete text was kept by the current Hokage, alongside the Scroll of Seals, and could be used to reward distinguished service to the village.
"Then watch closely tomorrow. Whether or not you can pick it up is up to you."
"Yes, sir."
Hayate brightened.
Sōgen had arranged to spar with someone tomorrow, which meant he'd be demonstrating "Moon Caress." Even though it wouldn't be easy to pick up, the chance alone was priceless.
Truthfully, that young girl is enviable!
With the assistant to the Hokage as her teacher, she was guaranteed to have a bright future. As long as she's not utterly clueless, she'll surely achieve high rank—at least Jōnin level. Meanwhile, he was still just a Chūnin with a long way to go before Jōnin.
And honestly, he wasn't entirely sure he'd even make it to Jōnin.
"Back to the main question, you've been watching here for half the day. What do you think of my little apprentice?" Sōgen shifted the topic back to his apprentice.
"She's diligent and focused."
Hayate thought for a moment before carefully responding.
He didn't comment on Hotaru Tsuchigumo's talent. He knew his limits; being no prodigy himself, he didn't think he could accurately gauge others' potential. Rather than make unfounded statements, it was better to simply report what he could observe.
"You say she's diligent and focused? Good!"
Sōgen nodded. With these qualities, combined with her decent potential, Hotaru Tsuchigumo's future should be promising—though still short of his aspirations. She didn't have to rival Yakumo, but she shouldn't lag too far behind, either.
"Donbe!"
Sōgen called out.
Two seconds later, Donbe dropped down from the rooftop, respectfully standing before Sōgen.
"Yes, Master Sōgen. I am here."
To Donbe, this man was not just the Hokage's assistant. Being Hotaru's teacher was even more important. Since Sōgen was her mentor, Donbe treated him with a respect akin to that shown to Hotaru's father.
As mentioned earlier,
Donbe had been a ward of the Traveler of Duty, initially running errands before being assigned to Hotaru Tsuchigumo's father. After her parents died in an attack, Donbe remained in service under the Traveler, who, before his passing, entrusted him with Hotaru's care.
"Do you have the scroll for the Binding Script technique?"
"…I do."
After a brief pause, Donbe nodded.
"Bring it to me."
Sōgen unceremoniously requested the secret family scroll passed down by the Tsuchigumo clan.
Donbe's expression faltered. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask, "Assistant Hokage, why do you need it? The Binding Script is a closely guarded Tsuchigumo secret," but ultimately, he couldn't.
In the end, Tonbei wasn't originally from the Tsuchigumo Clan.
He was a child whom the Yaku no Gyōja picked up, and he cared deeply for Master Yaku no Gyōja and for Lady Hotaru. As for the Tsuchigumo Clan, who had fallen out with Yaku no Gyōja, Tonbei couldn't care less about them or the secret arts that had been passed on outside the clan.
Sensing his health waning day by day, Yaku no Gyōja worried he might die suddenly before he could personally teach Hotaru the Jifuku Technique. So, before heading to the lord's residence, he entrusted the scroll of the secret arts to Tonbei with special precautions in place. In case anything happened to him, Tonbei would still be there to ensure that Hotaru inherited the tradition.
Yaku no Gyōja placed no restrictions on Tonbei, trusting that he would never willingly divulge any information related to the secret arts.
But he hadn't anticipated that someone would demand the secret technique from Tonbei so directly.
"The secret technique is hidden within my body and requires a unique method to be extracted," Tonbei answered honestly.
"Then let's have it extracted and handed over to me. Don't assume I'd misuse the Tsuchigumo Clan's secrets; those belong to Hotaru. I'm only asking for the scroll to better assess Hotaru's training plan. The Jifuku Technique will be Hotaru's greatest asset in the future."
Seeing that Tonbei didn't even ask why, Sōgen took it upon himself to explain.
He was sincere. He had little interest in the Jifuku Technique; through past conversations with Yaku no Gyōja, he had already learned that its core involved the Yin Release. And as his own training in Yin Release progressed rapidly, he had no shortage of methods for similar practice.
Besides, the mysteries he had gained from the Flame Fan, Banana Leaf Fan, and Amber Purification Bottle required substantial time to fully grasp. Now was not the time to be learning new or forbidden techniques. The utmost priority was the mastery of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the Rinnegan, and the powers of Sage Arts.
He didn't care whether Tonbei believed his words or not.
Sōgen's actions weren't to gain anyone's trust. He was simply expressing his intentions and attitude. As for how others reacted... that didn't matter to him. He cared only for himself, his family, and his friends. Beyond that, his sole goal was to become stronger.
To protect his family, clan, friends, and village as they traversed through the increasingly unpredictable fog of the future and reach that ideal shore, he couldn't afford even a moment's complacency. The march forward could not be halted.
Time ticked on, and the sun set.
Darkness cloaked the heavens.
The lights of the training ground flickered on.
In the brightness that seemed like daylight, Hotaru of the Tsuchigumo Clan completed a thousand shuriken throws with immense determination. When the thousandth shuriken struck the wooden stake—now marred and barely recognizable from over fifty cleanings today alone—Hotaru, who had been teetering on the edge, finally collapsed, unconscious, and fell toward the ground.
Just as the young girl was about to meet the ground, Sōgen appeared beside her, catching her by the back of her collar as if lifting a piece of pork. He carried her back to the corridor, placing his new disciple gently on the hallway floor.
"Don't worry; it's nothing serious—just some exhaustion and a strain. Nothing major," Sōgen reassured Tonbei, whose worry had manifested in his furrowed brow.
There was no need to fetch a medical ninja from the embassy. Sōgen himself began treating his new disciple's injuries. Though the healing speed with the Palm Healing Technique wasn't exactly slow, it was effective at mending Hotaru's strained muscles. For a ninja, such minor injuries were hardly a concern; they grew stronger through constant injury and recovery.
Of course, with the help of medical ninjutsu, the healing process was faster, allowing more time for training rather than recovery. And Sōgen was happy to have the chance to practice his medical ninjutsu more. His training in the Yang Release was primarily invested in medical ninjutsu.
After all, the essence of Yang Release was the power of the body itself.
Studying medical ninjutsu was in itself an exploration of Yang Release's mysteries.
The healing effect was immediate. Just seconds after Sōgen removed his hand, Hotaru's long eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes, her jade-green irises wandering in confusion. After several moments, her gaze settled on Sōgen.
"Master?" she whispered.
"How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?"
"My arm... huh? It doesn't hurt as much?" Hotaru tentatively moved her right arm, which had been in excruciating pain before she passed out, and found the pain had almost disappeared.
"Good. No pain means you're fine. Hotaru, you did well today, but…"
Sōgen drew out the last word, and seeing his disciple's tentative expression shift to one of nervousness, he continued, "This is just the beginning. Training will only get more rigorous from here on out, so be prepared."
"Yes... Master," Hotaru replied, swallowing nervously.
Tomorrow's training will be even tougher than today's? That's... terrifying! Hotaru could hardly hold back tears and began to wonder if she'd made a mistake in choosing this path.
"What? Regretting it? Well, it's too late. My disciple isn't allowed to abandon the clan."
Sōgen chuckled as he teased his young apprentice. Seeing Hotaru reminded him of his own sister, although the two girls differed entirely in appearance and personality. Still, he couldn't help but think of his sister when he looked at Hotaru.