The time of Red

Adam woke up to the sound of his door opening. "Masanari... Its time for me to teach you now. Follow me. We're leaving this place for a while." He stood and nodded, bowing at the red masked Tengu. "I'm ready to follow and learn."

"Good. Follow me." He picked up his wooden sword in its sheath tying it to his belt and followed red out of the small room and into the forests around Kurama. He looked at the ground and looked at the ground with curiosity and a smile. "What are you doing? You need to be looking around you and not just the ground." He looked up at the back of the red tengu masked monk in confusion. "What are you going to be teaching me?"

"I'm going to teach you the way of people, how to hide from them, how to see things that people do, and also how to out think those on the battlefield." He smiled. "I am excited to learn from you... Your lessons will be useful to me."

"Leave that to me to decide if you can learn the things that I show you." He nodded and followed in silence behind him. "We'll start here, what do you see around here?"

He looked around him. "I just see trees, plants, roots, flowers, grass and branches." He turned to look at the red masked tengu and found him missing. "Where did you go?"

"You need to keep your eyes on everything you see and take note of the things that move, or possible places where people can attack from." He watched as the red mask walked out from behind a tree and looked at him. "People don't see these things... You need to be the one person that does. Understand?"

He nodded in thought. "I'll work on improving this skill, I won't miss things like this in the future."

"Good. When you look around, you need to look for possible places to hide, and also places for you hide in." He nodded, looking at the tree the masked monk was hiding behind. "How were you able to hide behind that tree? It's trunk is quite thin. Thinner than you to be precise."

"Good question. The skills I teach you is about the mind of the people, and that is what you are fighting against. If you use your mind against people, than you win before a battle even begins." He nodded. "This is very important, I'll master these skills. How do I learn these skills?"

"Easy. For the first month, we'll be living out here away from the people, so you can learn how to hide and where to hide. Follow me." He walked behind the masked man following him further into the forest. "Try and keep up Masanari." He watched as the mask man started to run into the forest.

He ran after him, leaning against a tree trunk when he lost sight of the masked monk. He looked up at the branches and rolled out of the way as they jumped down from the branch they were hiding behind, landing in the place he was standing. "Good instincts, you moved before you could get hit, but you need to be looking everywhere, even when you're running." He felt like he was slapped in the face and looked down. "I apologize for my error. I'll not make it again."

"Don't say that kid... You're only eight, and this is something that'll take time to learn. We have to take steps slowly, until you understand and than we can work on more difficult things." He bowed. "Thank you."

"I have another question. As you were running through here, did you notice other possible hiding places?" He shook his head. "I didn't as I was trying to focus on you, so I wouldn't lose sight of you."

"But you did lose sight of me, and I was able to hide because of that." He nodded in thought. "Do you know how I did that?" He shook his head. "Your eyes. Everyone has eyes, but in this world our eyes will miss things sometimes, or they'll create an image of something when it can only see a portion of something."

He nodded. "That makes sense. If I was hiding in the dark, it would be harder for people to see me, since we only have candles and lanterns to see."

"Good. Sojobo said that you're intelligent, and I agree." He smiled. "You're correct about that. All I had to do was run, until I saw some red foliage, and changed my body shape. After that I climbed a tree and you lost me."

He nodded. "That makes sense. This is something very useful."

"What you'll be learning first from me is these simple techniques. After that we'll see what happens. Are you ready to begin?" He nodded. "I'm more than ready." He clutched his chest as he felt his heart start to race in excitement.

"The first thing you need to learn is to keep your mind clear and focused at all times. A clear mind is an observant mind." He knelt on the ground in front of the monk and focused his mind of the masked monk's words. "Hundreds of years ago there was a monk by the name of Shinran came across a mantra using hand signals that when spoken and hand signals formed at the same time, than the person's heart and mind would be come clear and focused. A beating heart would come to rest, and you'll be able to see all the things that people don't want you to see."

He nodded. "Yes. What happen to Shinran? Did he teach these skills to others?"

"Correct. These skills are the first thing you're going to learn. Everything to do with people stems from having a clear mind." He watched as the masked monk pulled out a scroll and handed it to him. "This scroll has the hand signals and the mantra, that'll clear your heart, and mind. I expect you to learn and memorize it by dawn tomorrow. For now you need to build a place to sleep, a fire to heat your food from, and at dawn come back to this point. I'll be waiting for you."

He took the scroll and put it in his robes. He stood up, bowing at the masked monk. "Thank you for your guidance."

"Here. Take this rabbit. You can eat this tonight, but tomorrow how you get your food is up to you. Understood?" He nodded.

"If you can get it from the forest, the rivers on the forest, or even steal it from the shrine, its not my responsibility, nor do I care if you don't eat. Same as if you get punished for stealing. I won't interfere at all, while your training under me, all your decisions are your own. Farewell Masanari."

He bowed watching the masked monk fade into the afternoon sun of the forest on Kurama. "I better find a place to rest. Lucky I know how to cook rabbit, since father already taught me how to." He slung the rabbits around his shoulders, and started to walk in the forest, only stopping when he found a place to rest. He looked at a small uprising, with a waterfall nearby. "This is perfect. Good defense, Good vantage points, I can see around, and if I need to hide, there are lots of hiding points in the wall." He moved around a few bushes into a small crack in the outcrop and looked inside it. "This is perfect. No other animals here, but easy to come and go."

He climbed out and started to make a smokeless fire, skinning and cooking the rabbits in silence. He looked up at the first stars of the evening and pulled out the scroll he was given, smiling at its words. "This is really surprising, I never learnt how to read or write Japanese in my previous life, yet I'm able to read and understand the language in this body. These words would definitely calm anyone, and I'll master them." He studied the scroll deep into the night, and did not rest until he had memorized the details.

He looked up and yawned staring at the predawn sky. "I studied it all night. I better just wash in the waterfall, and go see the masked monk." He removed his clothes and jumped into the waterfall washing his body, the icy water revitalizing him. After he saw the first peaks of the sun start to rise over the far horizon he got dressed and walked to the meeting point where the masked monk told him to wait. "I should try fishing today... I know how to do that with my hands, I hope my small body can also resist the long time in the water without getting sick." He looked at his hands, and looked up at the trees around him. "He's not up there. He might be hiding around a tree." He looked around frowning.

"Good student. You're starting to take notice of the things around you. You seem like you washed, and look clean. So I assume you didn't have any trouble last night?" He shook his head bowing at the masked monk. "I was comfortable. It was not much trouble for me, and I found the perfect place that suits my body size."

"Good, what about the rabbit. Were you able to cook it and eat it without becoming sick?" He nodded. "My father taught me how to clean and cook rabbit, while also skinning it for its pelt." He pulled the pelt out of his robe and presented it to the masked monk. "Here. I have no need of it. You can have it, you may have a use for it more than I do."

"Its yours. I gave it to you, pelt included. So from now on I won't be providing you food. That's on you now." He nodded. "Thank you."

"What about the scroll I gave you last night? Did you memorize it with the hand signals?" He nodded, smiling. "Not only have I memorized it, I also understand it."

"You understand the mantra?" He nodded. "Then I would love to hear your understanding of this mantra. Maybe you see something that I've missed." He knelt in front of the sitting monk, and pulled out the scroll, placing it on the ground between them. He went through the hand positions showing the monk, while also saying the mantra at the same time.

"Impressive Masanari. You've really got a good head on your shoulders. I hope you don't lose it too early." He smiled. "Don't worry red tengu. I won't be doing anything stupid with my knowledge, and understanding of this world."

"You're starting to sound like a monk, and you only read this single scroll. I wonder what you'll sound like when you start reading all the sutras and mantras in Kurama." He smiled, nodding his head. "Thank you."

"The test isn't over yet. You said you understood the meaning on the scroll. Tell me what do you understand? To be honest with you, not everyone fully understands it, but those who do are legends in their own minds."

He nodded and placed his hands on his knees. "From my understanding of this scroll its meaning is to be ready. To call others to you, make a formation and attack. To destroy the enemy and claim victory."

"If you say it like that, then anyone who says these lines would have a calm mind and heart. Ready to do battle and destroy the enemy. Very good Masanari. I'm glad I felt you had the mind and ability to learn the things I have to teach. I can see you're going to become an excellent samurai in the future. Even if you're a Hattori, maybe you can be both."

He looked at the masked monk in confusion. "Don't mind me. When you see your father again, you'll understand all."

He nodded. "I'll be whatever my lord wants me to be. To fight on a battlefield, bringing honor to him, or even fighting them on the roofs. For my lord I'll be all things he needs me to be."

"That's loyalty for you Masanari. Your lord is going to be very lucky. I'd be jealous if I was your enemy." He smiled. "You'll never be my enemy. Your a masked tengu monk."

"Hahaha. You've earned the rite to call me by my name. Shingen. May we fight together in the future."

He bowed towards Shingen. "I'll remember this name."