Departure

In the past four months, Inei did not receive even the slightest of pointers from Urokodaki, he deducted that this trial was his own to overcome.

Inei achieved enlightenment as he continued to surpass his limits, his goal of slicing the boulder seemed possible with each passing day.

He learned that his sword was not just a tool, but an extension of his limb, additionally, he learned that swords were not only just to swing, but to thrust, block, counter and had many more uses.

"Swords are versatile"

That was one of the things he learned.

The next thing was absolute concentration, his mind should be sharp, precise, calm, and calculating, even the slightest mistake could not be afforded.

That was easier said than done though, even after 6 months of training with Urokodaki, he hasn't learned to be at that level.

One thing he noticed that was his dexterity had greatly increased, his attack's swiftness and along with the sharpness of his blade increased as his will became stronger and stronger.

So Inei decided to start meditating to increase his mental strength, which was slow, but it was showing results nonetheless.

After being isolated inside the forest with the boulder, he understood to learn in the wilderness... Somewhat.

At first, he did not even know to set traps or hunt, which gradually increased as he gained more and more experience.

Surviving the nights was hard, as there were so many wild animals, and his awareness while sleeping greatly increased because of that.

And after fighting wild boars and countering sneak attacks by snakes, his instincts and senses seem to have taken leaps and bounds.

He was poisoned several times, but with the help of the Breathing Technique Inei was able to suppress the effects and survive.

All in all, it was a fruitful four months of isolation.

Inei held his Katana, he drew in a mouthful of oxygen as he closed his eyes, planted his feet on the ground, and stepped forward.

His veins bulged, every cell in his body was empowered as his muscles tightened, his blade whistled in the air as it descended.

His fingernails dug deep into his skin, his mind was clear as crystal, his bones felt like steel and his Katana was like hot, blazing steel ready to slice everything apart.

Swish!

A trial of water was left behind as his blade swung in the air, it stopped near the ground.

The misty fog cleared as he opened his eyes and in front of him was the boulder he tried to cut, and that boulder was now sliced apart from the middle, cut perfectly in two.

Inei straightened himself, sheathed his Katana in Samurai style, and walked back to Urokodaki's house.

His waist-length hair ruffled in the wind, strands of red stood apart from place to place, his pitch-black eyes seemed more resolute than ever.

Inei was now 11 years of age, despite that, his muscles were well-defined and rock-hard, he was already 5'8 tall.

He slid the door of the house, removed his shoes, and entered the building, he walked past some wooden Katana before entering the familiar hall.

Step.

Urokodaki glanced back, he noticed Inei, he slowly stood up and approached the young boy.

Looking into Tatsumi's eyes, he noticed something, he seemed... different...

Matured.

Urokodaki raised his right hand above Inei's head and patted him.

"You did fine, young man"

Inei finally felt something, his heart tightened and his eyes watered, but he held in everything, not wanting to show even the slightest of weakness.

Tatsumi nodded, he knew he would cry of joy if he uttered even a word, so he walked off toward the bath and freshened himself.

As he dipped himself in the cold, freezing water, he felt calm, his emotions settled down and he relaxed.

Inei dried himself, put on his new pair of clothes, which were a simple Kimono with black and purple ichimatsu pattern, and black pants.

He chose those colors because he felt some sort of favoritism toward them like it just felt... right.

***

The sun was setting and Inei headed out to Mt. Fujikasane, where the final selection was held.

He said his goodbyes and headed out.

After Inei was out of his vision, Urokodaki was about head inside, but he halted his steps as he smelled the scent of a demon.

He redirected his gaze toward the scent and spotted a boy in his early teens walking toward him, he was bruised, and he carried a wooden box on his back.

The boy wore a green-black plaid print haori jacket and had deep red hair, he wore some kind of earrings and looked very tired.

After seeing Urokodaki, the boy was overjoyed.

"Finally"

He whispered.

_____

A/N: 100 Stones Mark? Don't forget to add to your collection. Consistent updates from today, if I don't meet any unforeseen circumstances.