Chapter 1

In the year 1506,

On one fine dusk, rays of the sun shone on the vast horizon. A young boy could be heard panting heavily as he swung his wooden sword fiercely. "...99! ... 100! ...101! ..."

The youth wore a concentrated expression on his face. Various beads of sweat flowed on his exposed upper body. He wore a white yukata with the sleeves hanging on his waist. The red jittoku haori wrapped along hidden beneath sets of weight.

"Ikari! Breakfast is ready...!" a sharp voice yelled. "After your training... Come here and eat before it gets cold!"

"Yes! Mom!" Ikari continuously practices his cutting form. Never faltering because of fatigue, stress, and lack of stamina. "Strong will! ...Slash with the intent to kill! ...Strong will! ...Slash to kill!"

He slashed one last time and ended his routine. Ikari walked inside the dojo and placed the wooden sword in the bucket full of swords. He wiped the sweat that trickled past his eyebrows with his yukata.

"I'll take a bath first!" no response was heard. "You're not using the bath are you?"

"Just get in the bathroom already! You brat!" shouted his mother. "Wash yourself clean. I don't want to see you still smell of sweat!"

"Yeah. Yeah." Ikari mumbled in a low voice.

He untied the red jittoku haori wrapped with sets of weights. Ikari undressed and relaxed in the tub. After minutes of relaxation, he scrubbed his body using a towel filled with soap.

Done with the bath, Ikari tossed his yukata and haori into the laundry basket. He covered himself with a towel and walked out with his wooden sandals.

Ikari arrived in his room and opened his wardrobe. It was full of varied colored yukatas and all red jittoku haoris. He picked the outfit of the day and went with black yukata and red jittoku haori patterned with the moon.

"You're here." a middle-aged woman appeared in his view as he sat on the opposite of the table. "Not sitting next to your poor mother?"

"I'm old enough to hold a real sword!" Ikari snapped back. "Please. Give me my father's katana and I'll sit next to you."

"Don't mention that bastard!" Uzuki Sakura yelled at him. "That man is dead! And we're not having this conversation!"

"But mom—" Ikari stopped as he saw her glare. "... The sword will obey my command... I have been training for five years for this!"

"You're just a ten-year-old." she scoffed. "Train for eight more years and I'll let you touch that damned sword."

Ikari's lips curled into a smile. "Yes, mom! I'll become the world's greatest swordsman! Wano will bow its head before me..."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the mention of Wano. "You don't need their bow! We've been banished..."

"I'll make them regret tarnishing your and father's reputation, mother!" veins popped up on his forehead. "That Orochi will bleed with my sword embedded in his neck...!"

...

Ikari ran around the island they were isolated from. The island was called Swallow Island in North Blue. It only has a climate which was winter. "I'll sail the sea... Cut down, my enemies... I'll sail the sea... Cut down, my enemies..." he shouted in between breathing.

Ikari used this method to make himself memorize the pattern of his breathing. Weight bands could be seen on his arms, waist, and legs. He continued running around the island for three hours and rested in between.

He arrived at the well, and Ikari pulled a bucket of water. He drank it empty and was about to resume his training regime. Suddenly, his mother neared and held his wrist pulling him.

"I will be teaching you what it takes to be a swordsman!" his eyes lit up at her words. "Expect to be beaten every day..."

Ikari faltered at the word 'beaten'. "What do you mean beaten? I thought you'll finally going to teach me something useful."

A fist smacked his head making him groan in pain. "Lesson number 1. Never talk back to your sensei!" she ruffled his hair. "See that blindfold over there?" to which Ikari nodded. "Cover your eyes and sit down in the middle of the field."

Ikari did as he was told and used the blindfold to cover his eyes. "What's next? We'll spar with me blindfolded? Is that it?"

"No." Sakura pulled a wooden sword from the dojo. "I'll be teaching you Observation Haki. First things first, Haki is an embodiment of one's spirit and will. It can manifest physically depending on the user. And I'll be drilling this type of haki until you get it. Understand?"

"Understood!" Ikari answered. "Are there any other types of Haki?"

"Yes, there are." Sakura walked behind him. "There are three types of Haki. Observation Haki, the one you will learn in the next couple of years until you master it. Armament Haki, this type can make the user strong in terms of offense and defense. You're weak as of now, and it's a waste of time teaching it to you. Lastly, Conqueror's Haki, the rarest as it can only be witnessed by those with kingly aptitude... As your grandpa used to say."

"So, this haki that you'll be teaching me can make me wield the sword?" he felt elated all of a sudden. "I knew you'd have a way of making that sword obey me."

Uzuki Sakura swung the wooden sword down, smacking the excited Ikari. "Are you even listening? You're too weak to even try practicing that haki. Observation Haki will make you see, perceive and sense your opponents' intent, strength, presence, and aura."

"Ow! That hurt you know...!" Ikari rubbed his aching head. "So that's why you said that you'll beat me! Go easy on your kid. I'm just a ten-year-old!"

"Shaddap!" she slammed the wooden sword again. "I thought you want to be the greatest swordsman? And now, you're crying because it hurt?"

"I'm not crying!" he rubbed his head again. "How am I supposed to dodge that attack with my eyes covered?!"

"Focus your senses on the next attack." Sakura motioned her arms as she brought the sword down. "Since my intent. Concentrate. Beware of your surroundings. Be one with nature..."

Ikari focused on his ears, nose, and touch since his sight has been hindered. He heard the wind whistle as the sword swung down. On instinct, he ducked his head to the right as his ears registered the sound of the wooden sword passing the left side of his head.

"I did it!" he yelled in shock as his hands raised in the air. "I dodged your attack!"

"Never let your guard down... Even for a second!" Sakura reminded as the wooden sword smashed on her son's left cheek. "You idiot. It was a fluke and you already celebrated..."

Ikari placed his hand on his left cheek. "It hurt! Again!" he shouted with gritted teeth. "I let my guard down... There will be no next time!"

She scoffed at his words. "Be ashamed of your petty excuse. A great swordsman will never let his guard down. Remember that or your head will fall down your shoulders!"

...

After two hours of being smacked in the head. Ikari washed his aching head and went out for a run. He made his way to a hideout of his own. Even his mother doesn't know of this place.

Hidden underneath a tree, Ikari unsealed the submerged barrel. Inside, he pulled up a sheathed cutlass. He hung the sword on his waist and strolled the forest within the island.

As Ikari went deeper and deeper into the woods. He saw a white bear scavenging for food. It was a little cub, Ikari glanced around and did not find a mother bear.

He made up his mind to get closer while clenching the handle of the cutlass. Five meters was the distance between him and the cub. "Hey!"

The bear cub was startled by the shout and looked back. "Ahhhhh!" it yelled and the fruits in its hands were dropped.

"You can talk?" Ikari asked, he was bewildered by the reveal. "A talking bear cub?"

"O-of course, I-I can talk!" it answered depressedly. "My name's Bepo... You are?"

Ikari still clenched his cutlass as he remembered his mother's words. "Ikari, Uzuki Ikari. You're alone here?"

"Yes..." Bepo said as he looked down. "My brother and I sailed away from home. Then, there was a terrible storm and it hit us. And I woke up here alone."

"What are you...?" Ikari asked but still not letting his guard down. "I haven't met a talking bear, all my life."

"You're a kid, like me so you know nothing about us," Bepo answered while picking up the fruits. "We're called Minks. That's what my dad used to say..."

"Mom might know some of your kind..." Ikari scratched his chin. "She used to tell me stories about a cat and dog... Go in that direction and call for my mother, Sakura, that's her name and tell her about your situation. She might help you."

Bepo cried and nodded his head. "Thank you, Ikari."

Ikari glanced at Bepo's back and continued strolling into the woods. Hunting beasts have been in his routine schedule. It was just an episode.

Ikari noticed a weird and unusual fruit hanging by a tree. It was a circular fruit with waves patterned on its body. The fruit was red and blue colored separated by a line in the middle.

Curious, he held the fruit near his nose and sniffed it. "It smells nothing unusual. What about the taste...?" he licked the surface but tasted nothing.

Ikari made up his mind and munched a piece. He swallowed part of the fruit. "Disgusting shit!" he yelled in frustration and tossed the disgusting fruit. "I tasted shit. Fuck!" he cursed his luck.

Having had enough, Ikari went back to the dojo as he stepped through the snow. He glanced at the figure kowtowing towards his mother. "Why are you kneeling? What happened, mom?"

"I want to be a disciple!" Bepo cried his eyes out. "If you can't take me in. At least make a disciple, please sensei!"

Sakura had her veins popping out on her forehead. "Why'd you point this mink in our direction! You are a shitty brat! Now, there are two kids I need to take care of." she massaged her forehead.