Chapter 28: Six Years of Apprenticeship, Finally Time for Experience
"To practice martial arts, one must first cultivate the mind!"
"When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on any man, it will first exercise his mind with suffering, subject his sinews and bones to hard work, expose his body to hunger..."
"The power deep within a person's heart is something I'm seeing for the first time; it's a power even stronger than a Tailed Beast..."
"Choose one of these three options: become a powerhouse, become an idiot, or become a corpse..."
The time for half a stick of incense had long since passed, and Naruto's consciousness had already become blurred.
The stinging pain on his body, the torment within, and the severe lack of oxygen in the ceramic vat caused Naruto to reach a critical threshold.
Cross it, and the world opens up.
Fail to cross it, and there lies a bottomless abyss.
The words of the people or beasts who had left the deepest impression on Naruto echoed continuously in his mind. If not for these, Naruto likely wouldn't have lasted until the end.
"Am I going to die..." Naruto's sluggish consciousness questioned.
"Kenshin, you must hold on! You are only one step away from surpassing who I once was!"
Outside the ceramic vat, Hiko Seijuro watched the incense candle that was about to burn out. For the first time, worry showed on his face, and his gaze frequently darted toward the ceramic vat, which had essentially gone silent.
"After I die..." Naruto slowly shook his head, "I suppose no one will remember that monster from Konoha Village..."
Naruto gave a self-deprecating laugh. "They'll probably get what they want if I'm dead..."
"But I refuse!" Naruto found strength from somewhere unknown. "I want to see the look on their faces when they want to kill me but can't!" Naruto struggled to reach the middle of the wooden lid. "I won't just watch; I'll kill them myself!"
Boom! The fixed wooden lid soared into the sky!
"Good!" Hiko Seijuro clapped his hands forcefully and stood up!
"Ah!" Naruto poked his head out of the ceramic vat and let out a long howl toward the sky!
Crash! Hiko Seijuro instantly shattered the ceramic vat and caught Naruto in his arms at the same time.
"I want to learn all your skills!" Those were the first words Naruto said as he collapsed into Hiko Seijuro's arms. "Master! No matter how hard it is, as long as it doesn't kill me, train me to death!"
"Just a small request, your master will satisfy you!" Hiko Seijuro grinned. "Go to sleep. When you wake up, it will be the day you welcome a new life."
...
"Keeping yesterday's promise, I will teach you martial arts." Hiko Seijuro stood opposite Narutoand casually tossed him a long sword.
Naruto caught the long sword, glanced at the wooden sword in his hand, and discarded it without a second thought.
"Let's begin." Hiko Seijuro took his weapon in hand. "You must maintain absolute stillness. If your body wavers, you're dead."
Naruto weighed the sword in his hand and realized that the long sword Hiko Seijuro had tossed him was real!
"First, I will teach you the basic Moves of swordsmanship." Hiko Seijuro shouldered his unsheathed long sword. "Karatake! Kesa-giri! Sakakesagiri! Left Thrust! Right Thrust! Left Upward Slash! Right Upward Slash! Sakakaze! And Tsuki-ken!"
Naruto carved the names of these nine Moves Hiko Seijuro mentioned deep into his mind. He stood straight facing Hiko Seijuro, remaining perfectly still.
"No matter the style of swordsmanship, they are all variations and evolutions of these nine Moves." Hiko Seijuro continued to spout basic swordsmanship theories, not caring whether Naruto could remember them. "While these nine Moves are the basic structure of all swordsmanship, however..."
Naruto instantly focused with all his might; he knew the important part was coming!
Mid-sentence, Hiko Seijuro sheathed the long sword he had been carrying on his shoulder. Then, he suddenly crouched and charged at a speed Naruto's eyes couldn't track. In an instant, he completed the complex sequence of drawing, slashing, parrying, and re-sheathing!
"The greatness of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū lies in its ability to resist these nine Moves, making it impossible for the enemy to defend or parry. This is the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū!"
Before Naruto could even react, Hiko Seijuro was already behind him, slowly standing up.
"Did you see it clearly? This is your master's proudest swordsmanship and one of the Profound Truths of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū—the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash!"
Facing Hiko Seijuro's question, Naruto shook his head frankly. "I didn't see it, not clearly at all. And... and those nine basic Moves Master mentioned, I don't know a single one..."
"Uh..." Hiko Seijuro was suddenly a bit embarrassed. He had been a little too eager to show Naruto his strongest side and forgot that Naruto had only practiced the Battōjutsu.
Furthermore, what Hiko Seijuro didn't know was that his true disciple, Kenshin, had been replaced by Naruto, who was a complete novice in swordsmanship.
Even the only Move Naruto knew now, the Battōjutsu, was inherited from Kenshin thanks to the System.
"It's fine if you don't understand. I just wanted to tell you that you're far from learning my swordsmanship. You must still practice step by step from the basics!"
"Then when do we start?" Naruto seemed a bit anxious. After all, he didn't know how long he could stay in this world; he had to hurry and learn everything Hiko Seijuro had.
"Now!" After covering up his mistake, Hiko Seijuroregained his cool. "First, I will teach you the advanced technique of the Battōjutsu—Iaijutsu!"
...
Practicing a thousand times creates short-term muscle memory. Doing so every day for about a year forms initial muscle memory. If one persists for five years, it creates permanent muscle memory and even builds an instinct similar to intuition.
Days and nights passed, and seasons changed. Naruto's apprenticeship with Hiko Seijurocontinued through wind and rain. Six years had passed, and the body Naruto occupied had grown into a young man.
"Over these six years, I have taught you most of my swordsmanship. It is time for you to go out and gain experience." Hiko Seijuro called out to Narutothat day as he finished training and headed back to prepare a meal.
Indeed, as Naruto grew older, the task of cooking had fallen to him.
"Alright, Master!" Naruto didn't hesitate. "I'll pack up and leave!"
After studying swordsmanship for six years and initially mastering most of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryūtechniques, Naruto's personality had also changed slightly.
At this moment, Naruto was like an unsheathed long sword—cold, sharp, and direct.
"Whoa!" Hiko Seijuro's expression was greatly exaggerated. "Kenshin, are you so eager to part with your master? I'm heartbroken!"
"You're just sad that you're losing a human punching bag!" Naruto was merciless with his words. Over the six years they spent together, Naruto had long since figured out Hiko Seijuro's temperament, so he spoke with more casualness.
"Now, now, now!" Hiko Seijuro wagged his finger. "If I didn't use actual combat to teach you, you would never learn the essence of a life-and-death struggle. It would be very easy to die while out on your own!"
Naruto fell silent. In the intervals of their conversation, he had already finished packing his bags. After slinging them across his waist, he gave Hiko Seijuro a deep bow.
"I will return alive from my travels!" Naruto gripped his long sword tightly. "Please save the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash and the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki for me, Master!"
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