Autumn's end came with leafless trees everywhere. Grey clouds covered the sky that the sun was barely visible during daylight. Lots of critters were nowhere to be seen after having gone into hibernation. A month ago, Hanzo had stocked up on food supplies and warm clothing.
Jūnigatsu (December) brought a chilling wave, ushering in winter. One of the coldest in Nihon's recent history. For the year's last month, Hanzo tasked Mikoto and Takumi with finding suitable weapons for their elemental affinities.
"When you find the one that works best for you," said Hanzo, drawing a katana with a white hilt. "This is my Zanken... isn't she a beauty?" He made the Vayu mudra, charging his prana and demonstrated. "Using what I taught you, shroud your weapon in a uniform aura. Once you accomplish this, you'll be ready for the next step."
The kunoichi chose a tantō for her air affinity and began training immediately. She hoped to learn amplification before they completed their training. She had to first master prana control. Luckily, that came easily for her as she got the hang of covering her aura around the blade within a week.
During that time, Takumi struggled to find a weapon best suited for him. He spent half of the time daydreaming in Hanzo's toolshed about how great an Artisan he would be in the future. One day, he found it. A wrist slingshot hidden behind one shelf. Afterwards, he modified the weapon and practiced how to shroud his aura around it.
As for Kazuo, his daily training mainly consisted basic kenjutsu forms with Hanzo. Vishuddha and Mushin meditations were reserved for the evenings. Day one, Hanzo asked him to draw, strike the first kata (form) and sheath Sūijin as fast as he could.
"You were too slow and I could hear the blade sliding through the saya," said Hanzo, opening his eyes after dodging the attack. He grabbed Zanken's saya at his waist and took a stance. "First, you need to position your right leg in front of the left. This is how you hold your guard with a firm position."
Kazuo stood wide-eyed, nodding.
"Then, push your left thumb on the tsuba to unlock the blade from its saya." Hanzo drew Zanken without making the slightest sound. "Gently slide it out with your right hand on the hilt and left on the saya. Both hands should work together, moving away from each other. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Now, you try..."
Kazuo unsheathed Sūijin and imitated Hanzo.
"Your stance was much better but the dragging was still audible. You'll work on the speed later but try not to make any noise as you unsheathe."
"Okay."
"Let me show you what a Mushin level Iai is like when you've mastered this first kata." Hanzo sheathed Zanken and beckoned Kazuo to move back. Inhaling deeply, he drew the blade once more in a quick swing before returning it into its saya. Mushin: Iaijutsu!
A gust of wind blew on Kazuo's face as he blinked. His jaw dropped. Shit! It's almost like he didn't move! "How'd you do it so fast?"
"That was a downward head slash. By month's end, you should've grasped it and a few more."
Kazuo had no words. Insane...
"Most foot ninjas operate at Zanshin and assassins are at Mushin. Shadow Masters are the real problem as they can fight at Fudoshin and some even Senshin. In order to win against an elite, you'll need more than brute strength. You have to at least match or surpass their speed as well." Luckily for you, you won't have to face anyone who's at Senshin just yet.
Kazuo listened to every word as he tried to follow. "What's the hardest level you've reached?"
"Senshin–"
"Shit," Kazuo blurted. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to–"
"It's alright... with training and time it can be done. However, for this regimen, we'll stop at Fudoshin."
"Why is that?"
"When you're fighting a Shadow projector, you have to guard your mind from mental attacks. Even Budō Seishin masters cannot use Senshin for too long as it takes a huge toll on the body and consumes lots of prana. Meaning, someone who's mastered Fudoshin can have a chance against a projector when it turns into a battle of endurance."
"I see," said Kazuo, rubbing his chin.
Hanzo chuckled. "I know it may be confusing now but you'll get the hang of it as you learn by doing."
"Right! That's what I'm better at..."
"Indeed," Hanzo nodded. "As I was saying, the eight basic cuts are the downward head, diagonal downward, horizontal, upward diagonal and thrust."
Kazuo tallied up on his fingers. "But that's five?"
"The horizontal and diagonals have two katas–a left and a right. However, there are over one hundred other forms and kenjutsu styles. You'll learn some of those as you master the way of the sword but what you need to grasp now is the basic eight-fold katas."
Kazuo watched Hanzo demonstrate the other seven cuts in succession. Onwards, he practiced each of the moves from the first to the eighth. After day one ended, he got accustomed to the first two forms. He and Hanzo took a quick break at sunset and joined the others for supper.
When they finished eating, Hanzo and Kazuo started Vishuddha meditation. They sat in the lotus position, holding an Akasha mudra in each hand.
"Considered to be the subtlest of the seven elements…" said Hanzo, taking a deep breath with his eyes closed. "Ether represents the space through which all the other elements exist. For Vishuddha, visualize a blue sphere spinning at the throat centre."
Kazuo closed his eyes, took a deep breath and imagined it. As he recalled the previous chakra meditations, his visualisations had improved greatly. Rotating the spheres in his mind had become easier. After an hour of silence, he opened his eyes.
"We're done with today's Vishuddha meditation, which means we can then start Mushin activation. For this bit of the exercise, I'll guide you into the shadow plane." Hanzo made the Chinmaya mudra.
"Wait, does this mean more meditation?"
"Yes."
Shit!
"If thoughts fill your mind..." said Hanzo, breathing deeply. "Allow them to flow like leaves on a river."
Fuck! I'm still thinking. Shit! Fuck! Kazuo shrugged with his eyes wide shut. This is harder than it sounds!
"Try to relax and concentrate on your breathing. Don't focus on the outside world. Breathe in..." Hanzo inhaled and held his breath. "And breathe out..." he exhaled while Kazuo did the same.
Some breaths later, Kazuo stilled his mind and calmed down. When their heart rates were almost in sync, Hanzo placed a thumb on Kazuo's forehead.
Shiroku suru!
[
Once within Kazuo's shadow plane, Hanzo told him they would spend ten days there. That number equated to four hours outside. "Ten days?" he said, wide-eyed. "What will we do for food?"
"These mental projections depend on our physical bodies for all the sustenance we may need."
"In simpler terms, please!" Kazuo sulked.
"If your body can go without food or drink for four hours out there, you won't need it in the shadow plane. However, this place has its downsides. You'll feel the mental toll of training for ten days. Got it?"
"I see," said Kazuo, grabbing his chin. "There's something I've been meaning to ask, sensei?"
"Sure..."
"My great-grandpa told me about a darkness he couldn't defeat in his own time... who is that person?"
Hanzo's smile vanished as despair overwhelmed him. "Kurayami (Darkness) is exactly that, Kazuo-kun..." he said, trying to maintain his composure. "Kazuro-sensei wanted you to have awakened Senshin before you knew this. However, that man is the mastermind behind the Inazuma massacre."
"I see..." Kazuo held back the tears. "There are some memories I still can't access. If I may ask another thing about great-grandpa, did this man–"
Hanzo hugged him. "I'm so sorry..."
"It's fine," said Kazuo moments later. "Let's begin."
"Alright..."
"Before we start, how were you able to use Raijin?" "When you open your Crown chakra, you can bypass the seals. You see, each sword god casts a specific curse that activates once the blade is unlocked. So with the swords Raijin, Kajin and Sūijin, these are electrocution, burning and freezing."
"What about Dōjin? Was it that no one could lift it?"
"Indeed, Dōjin's weight increases when touched."
Kazuo's eyebrows raised. "Hmm, I think I get it. Is that why Takumi's pulley worked?" he asked.
"Yes. No one touched the sword directly."
"What about me?"
"Descendants of Kazuro-sensei are exempt from the curses because you have his blood..." Hanzo cleared his throat. "When Raijin's awakening struck you, it activated a sudden burst of Kundalini energy that temporarily opened all seven chakras. This would've otherwise killed a normal person..."
Kazuo turned pale while processing what he had been told. And to think I almost died back then...
"You were not going to," said Hanzo with a chuckle to lighten the mood. "Kazuro-sensei made sure of it."
Kazuo furrowed a brow. "Wait, you can read...?"
"Your thoughts, affirmative." Hanzo chuckled. "Only when I'm in your subconscious, as you haven't yet mastered Fudoshin to guard your mind." He noticed a drop of sweat trickling down Kazuo's temple. "No need to worry, I won't actively do it."
Kazuo sighed.
"Continuing with the training... If we spend four hours every evening for thirty-one days out there, we have an equivalent of three hundred and ten shadow days to focus on reaching Mushin."
"How will we know that I have reached it?"
"Good question. The short answer is: when you're able to act without conscious thought. To achieve Mushin, your mind should be free from doubt, fear, hesitation and anger. For your Mushin training, we'll fight using the daily kenjutsu forms until you get it."
"Kenjutsu? But we don't have any katanas in here."
"The interesting thing about this place is that, similar to a dream, if you can imagine something..." Hanzo stretched out his hand and a replica of Zanken formed out of thin air. "You can make it real."
Kazuo thought hard about Raijin, and after a short while, the chokutō materialised in his hand.
"Let's begin!" said Hanzo as he advanced.
Ten days in the shadow plane went by in a flash and Kazuo was still thinking about each move that he made. After four hours outside, they returned to the real world–his body as stiff as a board. With that, the first day's regimen was complete.
☯
Kazuo practiced his katas during the day for thirty days and meditated with Hanzo in the evening. For each set of ten shadow days, his movements improved tenfold. His body was quickly adapting to moving without thought.
As days went, Mikoto and Takumi steadily made progress with their affinities. Mikoto could now conduct and amplify air for a few seconds. Takumi had also perfected the modifications to his wrist weapon–a dart launcher. He practiced shrouding the darts with aura for improved accuracy and strength.
Hanzo had tasked the duo to amplify their weapons and use them to bring down a tree each. He had demonstrated with a single kata using Zanken to slice through a thick trunk. By the month's end, neither Mikoto nor Takumi had completed their task.
When Jūnigatsu ended, Kazuo had mastered the first four sword forms and balanced Vishuddha. His most noteworthy achievement, however, was being able to hold Mushin for five minutes after completing the grueling shadow months in his subconscious.