Blue's Target

"Suriashi. Again. Again. Again." He looked up at the masked monk as he slid across the roots holding the buckets. "Better. You need to be able to get to the other side in one movement. Its a sliding step after all, you need to slide, no matter the surface you're on." He nodded and took another step. He glanced at the monk, noticing the movements of a kick coming, and he shifted his weight.

"Good. You shifted your weight perfectly that time. You need to be able to do that every moment, not just once. You shouldn't have to look at the ground, use your peripheral vision to move. See everything, and take notice of everything around you. Including what I'm doing. Red should of taught you that already." He nodded as he shifted his weight again as he slid across the root.

"That's enough. You can get down from there." He jumped off the root and stood in front of the masked monk. "Now I'm going to teach you another step. This is called Ayumiashi, watch as my toes never leave the surface of the ground. Its as if there's a string tied to my toes, that keep them on the ground."

He nodded. "I also see that you're using the Suriashi as well for each step."

"Good observation. That's correct. Still shifting weight as you walk, toes graze the ground as you move. Now, you try." He put the buckets on the ground and took a step, copying what he saw from the masked monk. "Good. You still need to practice. If you can master this step, than your movement in battle will be fast and precise." He stood up and bowed at the masked monk. "Thank you for your guidance, I'll keep practicing this step."

"Good. From now on, if I see you walking normally, I'll be punishing you. You need to be always walking from now on in this step, and keep walking in this step until its natural for you." He nodded and took another step forward. "Slow. By the time you return back to the shrine, it'll be night. You better master it, or tomorrow you'll be late." He nodded, bowing at the masked monk. "Thank you. I shall see you tomorrow. I'll keep practicing."

"If you're able to walk like this in the future, I'll show you Fumikomiashi. If you master that, then you'll be like the wind on a battlefield." He smiled. "I'll master it, because I need to be strong for my duties. Its my Bushido."

"Yes. I saw it when you drew your blade. Your aura reveals your Bushido, even though its a weak aura. It will become stronger and anyone near you will feel you aura. A good thing, and also a bad thing." He looked at the masked monk. "What do you mean?"

"If you want to hide, your aura will give you away, and others will know your there. However, if you're on a battlefield, and standing in front of your enemy, it doesn't matter. Does that make sense?" He nodded in thought. "Than, how do I hide my aura so that if I need to hide, before I strike, they won't know I'm there?"

"Good question. You'll learn that eventually. However, right now you need to be walking in the correct form. You're too slow for me, so I'll go ahead. See you here at dawn before the sun fully rises." He bowed at the back of the masked monk. "I'll be here, and I won't be late."

He saw the monk wave his arm at him. "We'll see Masanari." He looked around as he took a step, and felt his feet slide as he took the next step. He smiled. "That's how it works. Each step I take as long as my toes graze the ground, I'm able to slide, making my step longer. Very useful in battle, also I don't use a lot of energy when I take these steps." He walked back to his room, watching the moon rise into the sky. "Another full moon. Have I already been here for that long?" He smiled as he looked at the moon. "Many years to come until I'm ready to meet my master. I hope the young lord doesn't get into trouble while I'm up here in Kurama."

He laid on the futon falling asleep.

He woke to the sound of birds chirping from his open window and sat up looking as predawn light started to come through his window. "I better hurry, or I'll be late." He carried his wooden sword and walked out of the small room walking slowly out of the shrine, and towards the meeting place for the masked monk.

He saw the roots in the distance smiling. "I'm picking up speed, a lot faster than I was last night. I wonder what else I can do with this step." He bent his knees, placed his hand on the sword hilt, took a long breath, moved his foot and slashed with his sword without it making a sound. He smiled as he felt the strength in the slash. "Very good. It seems you're able to put all the things you've learnt, including your footwork into your slash just then." He bowed at the masked monk. "What do you think of that strike? Does it have my Bushido in it?"

"That's a strong attack you have there, and it has traces of your Bushido in it, but the issue you have is that you need to be in front of the person to attack. Today I'll show you a running step so that you can use that energy to increase the strength of your blade when you slash. Watch me."

He watched as the masked monk moved his right foot forward, and his left foot moved forward as well. "That looked like a small jump, but I'm sure it was a quick step. What is it called?"

"This one, is something you don't need to focus on. Just you need to be able to move that way, because this is the base of the next step I'll show you." He nodded, and watched as the masked monk, took a step forward, charging at him. He jumped backwards as he saw the monk's figure grow in front of him. He fell on the ground in surprise. "How did you do that? It looked like you grew larger for a moment."

"That's the step you need to learn. Its a charging step, and if you use your attack while using this step you'll be a dancing tiger in the wind." He nodded. "What's it called?"

"Its called Tsugiashi. You need to master it, as you can't stand and wait for your opponent to come to you, sometimes you need to go to your opponent. Especially if your lord is in danger." He smiled. "Its very fast, and sudden, like a lightning bolt coming straight for the opponent."

"That's a good way of looking at the Tsugiashi. I'll do it again slowly, watch how my feet move. Right foot first, taking a longer step, with your left foot snapping into stance behind it. If you do it when facing someone you become larger. I'm not sure how that works, you'll have to ask red about that."

He nodded and bowed at the masked monk. "I'll master this. What about the other step you mentioned yesterday?"

"You mean this one?" He watched as the masked monk charged again, this time he heard a loud thump on the ground in front of him, as a sharp cut of air pushed him backwards. He felt his heart racing. "That is the last step. But before you can learn that one, you need to master the charge first. On the roots go."

"..."

He wiped the sweat off his brow looking at the roots and the trees around him as the shadows grew longer. "I think I've got this move. I want to try it out on something."

"Here try this." He looked and saw the masked monk place a branch of bamboo in the ground. "I'm not expecting you to break the bamboo, I just want you to see the strength in the blow when you use it all together." He nodded and place his hand on his hilt focusing his attention to the branch of bamboo. He took a step forward charging at the branch, and pulled on his wooden sword silently, before putting it back in its sheath.

"Good. That was excellent for your first try doing that with your sword." He sat on the ground panting heavily. "Very tiring move. You'll be working on your endurance, but it does seem, you need to practice the step further, when you master the step, you won't be using so much energy." He knelt and bowed at the masked monk. "Have a look at the branch. You've surprised me. A wooden sword cutting through bamboo. Your Bushido has grown stronger. Continue putting your mind in your sword, and your feet." He nodded, while panting heavily.

"We'll end here for today. Go bathe in the waterfall not far from here, and than go back to your room. Remember your step. Keep walking and running that way, only than can you release the power of your blade."

"I will. Thank you for your instruction."

"See you tomorrow, if you show improvement, I'll show you that final step. You'll like it I promise." He stood up after the monk had faded into the forest and leaned on a tree trunk breathing heavily. "It seems that my body can't keep up. I need to work on my bodies endurance if I'm going to become stronger." He looked at his hands. "I'm still eight. This is annoying, but I can feel I'm becoming stronger." He looked up at the setting sun. "Grant. If you're in this world as well, I'll be hunting you down, returning what you gave to me."

He slowly walked to the waterfall, took off his clothes, before sliding into the water. He felt the icy water cause his body to feel that there were hundreds of pins stabbing into him. "You shouldn't just jump into icy water. If your heart was weak you'd die." He looked up and saw Sojobo sitting on a rock looking at him. "Yes, I won't do it again, it was just today's training was very difficult and my muscles are in pain."

"You used all your energy in your body. Remember your only eight years old. No matter how hard you work on your body, you still have limits. When you get older, the limits will fade, as long as you prepare well now." He nodded. "That I understand. I don't want to be weak, when I'm older, and for me to be stronger, than I'm willing to go through endless amounts of pain for it."

"Ahh. Well, I do have a method that'll help your body to fight through those limits, but the pain will be immense. Are you willing?"

He nodded. "I'm willing."

"Than start a fire over there, and don't get dressed. I have some needles that I'll put in your acupressure points which will increase the amount of blood in that area and give you a chance to fight through the limit of your young body." He nodded and stood up out of the waterfall and started to make a fire nearby, listening to the fading footsteps of Sojobo.

"..."

"Nice fire... Its perfect for what I need to do. These are the needles that I'm going to put in the pressure points in your body. If it works, than you'll be able to draw on more energy, and recover faster. If it doesn't work, than you'll be crying out in pain, with no reward. Are you ready?" He nodded and sat in front of the fire cross-legged, and his eyes closed. "I'm ready. You can begin now."

"Strong willed you are Masanari. May you find a way to get through this pain. Here if you need to bit down on something, here is some leather you can use to bite on."

He shook his head. "No. I don't need it. I'll face the pain, and you won't hear me scream at all."

"Here we go." He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he felt the first hot needle pierce his back. He felt fire race up his spine to his head. He shook his head. "No screaming. Again. I can take it, for my lord."