Chapter 47

"Get in," Hisashi said.

"You're not going to watch?" Jozou asks.

"No need. Even if you lose, you won't disappoint your master." Hisashi said as he sits down under the nearest tree. "I'll just wait here." He then took an apple before he starts to eat.

"Another apple, huh? Okay." Jozou said as he opens the there. However, inside, there is no one except for his master just sitting there.

"Master?" The door closes. Suddenly, Jozou felt the air change as he activates his Ki and he moves his head. Suddenly, a tanto appears where his head used to be and his master was using it. He then jumps away to the other side of the room.

"Master? What does this mean?" Jozou said as Yoshimitsu looks at him.

"He didn't tell you? This is a fight to the death." Yoshimitsu said as she flashed next to Jozou but he dodged the next attack.

"If you keep on dodging, you won't get out of this alive," Yoshimutsu said as she sent a wind dagger that Jozou barely dodged.

"I won't! What fight is this? I won't fight you!" Jozou said before he watch his master flash again. However, this time, she stumbled and fall on the floor.

Jozou panics as he runs towards his master's aid. He however froze when he saw something dripping out of her mask.

"Mas…Master? Are you okay?" He said as he offers to help her up. But she just slaps his hand before she stood up herself.

"Are you not going to fight me? Is this how you want me to die?" Yoshimitsu said as she takes out her scroll.

"Die? No! Who said that you're going to die!?"

"Don't tell me how my body works my boy. Fight me! Don't tell me that you practiced for a week just to dodge me?" Ashikaga said as she removes her Oni mask, revealing blood dripping from her mouth.

"Master…. You… You don't have to do this." Jozou said as he removes his mask, fully revealing the face full of scars.

"Just fight me. Make your master proud. It's my last wish." She said as she look at her student, preventing her eyes from tearing. Jozou bits his lips as he thinks about how 'Gozu'(Hisashi) never told him anything. He then picks up his mask and looks straight into his master's eyes.

"What about the others?" Jozou asks.

"I've already informed them. After all, you're the next in line for the School's master." Ashikaga said as she put her mask on. She didn't want her student to see her face before she dies.

"Please don't hold back on me," Jozou said as he tries to remember all the memories and training he did with his master. How she adopted him as a child, how she taught him how to use swords, and when they practiced wind sorcery together. The more he thinks about it, the harder he felt to suppress his tears. Luckily, the mask he wears hides it well enough to net let his master see it.

"Here I go," Ashikaga said as she releases a spell from her scroll. Then, a bunch of wind shurikens came rushing toward him.

As the projectiles were about to hit him, Jozou flashed and a loud sound came from the walls. He hit the fragile wall causing them to break. As she watches this, Ashikaga smiles behind her mask.

"Looks like this will be our final training session. I thought that he would train you enough." Then, Jozou stood up and laugh.

"I'm just nervous, master. Today, I'll make you proud."

"What you did is a record. The youngest person to master my technique. You didn't even have a scroll yet. Still, even without all that, I'm already proud of you. SO COME!" Ashikaga said as she then watch Jozou flash towards her. To match him, she flashes away while attacking.

The two continue to flash their way inside the dojo as they enjoyed the fight. In terms of strength, Jozou's growing body is giving him a very small edge. But Ashikaga's rich experience gave her a big lead to the fight as a few more cuts appears on her student's body.

However, as time passes, the faster Jozou gets used to their speed and improves faster than before. As the sun sets, Jozou watch his master slow down but with the biggest smile on her face under that terrifying mask.

'Grow healthy. Don't blame yourself for this.' She thought to herself as she watch Jozou flash faster than her.

…

"That's a natural part of life. So take your time." Hisashi said as he watch Jozou cry in her master's grave. After the battle, he decided to bury her on the cliff where the moonlight is at its clearest.

"Are you talking about dying? Or getting old?" Jozou asks.

"Burying the dead," Hisashi said as he left Jozou alone before he can say anything. He walked back to the tree in front of the dojo and saw the apple in his bag.

'She's not dead. I'm sure of it.' He thought to himself.

Later on, Jozou comes out of the dojo and walks up to him. He was holding a letter and a bag of belongings in his hand.

"This was for you. Master wrote it days before and told me to give it to you." Jozou said and Hisashi grabs the letter.

"What are you going to do now?" Hisashi asks. Jozou thought for a while before asking.

"This son of shogun… What is he like?" His question made him think for a while.

"Ryuya? He's a man with big ambitions. He puts the citizen's life more than his and even his dream is for the country. He used to be cheeky and playful but for whatever reason, he was now more humble. He's still pretty lively though, so there's that. Overall, he's a great leader." Hisashi thought about his meeting with Ryuya.

"I'm curious about how he knows my name, but I'll meet him," Jozou said and he said goodbyes to Hisashi. He just sat there as the latter left and finally stood up when he finally sensed him far.

He then walked back to the cliff and open the letter to read it there. What he read made him click his tongue as he set it to fire with a spell. This is what the letter says:

'If you're reading this, then I'm dead. That doesn't concern you but I am concerned to you. I know that by watching my student, you know how to replicate the technique. But I also know that you won't be able to. You might be able to do a knock-off version, but not the real one. After all, you don't even know how to do a zetten.

And if you expect me to give you a lesson for how to achieve it… tough luck, as it's all up to you. Learn about yourself and what you want to be. You're still young. Letting yourself be hindered by such burdens is not good in the long term. Learn something from it. Don't forget about it, however, there is no need to punish your future for the mistakes of your past.'

Hisashi simply stood up as he thought to himself.

'Why do old people always act wise? Like they all can see through me? Watch and learn Ashikaga. I don't need you to tell me how to do things.' Then, he contracts his leg muscles and a wind yoryoku on his feet.

As he took a step, he disappears and reappears again meters away. In his eyes, he successfully replicated the technique. Unfortunately, with the trained eyes, they would be able to see the differences in a single glance.