Chapter 1 – The Child Near the Wisteria
Date: Meiji 31 (1898)
Location: Azabu District, Edo outskirts
Age: 5 years old
---
The Azabu district was quiet in the early morning, the kind of quiet that belonged only to places watched over by wisteria trees and old secrets. Sunlight filtered through narrow streets, catching on tiled roofs and drifting dust. Near the edge of the district—just three houses away from the Kanroji residence—sat a small orphanage that most people forgot existed.
Inside its yard stood a child who did not belong to forgetting.
Kai was five years old, barefoot on cold stone, holding a chipped wooden ladle far too confidently for his age. His hair fell in dark red strands, untied and messy, and his eyes—gentle, observant, impossibly deep—resembled paintings from a bygone era. Anyone who truly looked at him would feel an unexplainable warmth… and a strange sense of déjà vu.
He looked like Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
But unlike the legendary swordsman whose presence felt like the sun itself, Kai smiled easily. His expression was soft, approachable—mischief lurking behind politeness.
Inside his mind, a calm voice echoed.
[Great Sage Activated]
Analyzing environment…
Recommended Action: Improve utility skills for survival probability (Age: 5).
Kai hummed thoughtfully. "Okay," he whispered, nodding seriously. "Let's not die."
He was an orphan. That truth had settled quietly into his bones long ago. No dramatic memory of fire or blood—just the understanding that no one was coming for him. And yet, he didn't feel alone.
Because Great Sage was always there.
---
Azabu was kind to children who worked.
Kai learned that early.
He began by helping the orphanage cook—washing rice, chopping vegetables with a dull knife sized for his hands. His movements were careful, precise, guided by constant suggestions only he could hear.
[Optimizing grip angle: +12% efficiency]
[Knife safety protocol recommended]
Within weeks, the matron noticed something strange.
"The food tastes better lately," she murmured.
Kai smiled sweetly. "I just watched carefully."
Cooking became his first skill. Not mastery—just competence. Enough to earn small praise, small rewards. Leftover rice balls. A few copper coins slipped into his palm.
He didn't stand out. That was important.
[Warning: Excessive talent may attract scrutiny]
"I know," Kai whispered back. "Slowly."
---
By summer, he had added cleaning, sewing simple tears, and herb sorting to his routine. An old doctor who visited Azabu twice a month noticed the boy's curiosity.
"Why does this leaf smell bitter?" Kai asked one day.
The man chuckled. "To warn the body."
Kai remembered.
[Herbal knowledge logged]
Soon, he was helping prepare poultices—never diagnosing, never prescribing. Just assisting. Carrying water. Grinding roots.
People began leaving small offerings. Not charity—payment.
A few sen here. A rice sack there.
Kai accepted them politely, bowing like a proper child.
He was earning money without being an anomaly.
---
Across the street, a pink-haired girl practiced carrying heavy logs, face scrunched in determination.
Kanroji Mitsuri.
She was five too. Loud. Strong. Kind.
Kai had met her by accident—literally—when she nearly knocked him over while running.
"Oh no! Are you okay?" she panicked.
Kai looked up, blinked once, then smiled. "I am now."
She stared. "You're pretty."
He tilted his head. "You're strong."
Thus began a quiet friendship.
Kai teased her gently, complimented her often. He learned quickly that Mitsuri blushed easily. Great Sage disapproved.
[Flirtation unnecessary for survival]
Kai ignored it.
---
At night, when the orphanage slept, Kai trained.
Not with a sword—his body was far too young—but with breathing.
He sat beneath the moon, copying movements etched into his soul though he had never lived them.
[Memory fragments detected]
[Sun Breathing theoretical framework incomplete]
"I know," Kai whispered. "We'll rebuild it."
Inhale.
Hold.
Exhale.
Not fire. Not flame.
Sun.
Warm. Endless. Life-giving.
His lungs burned. His muscles trembled. Five-year-old bones screamed in protest.
[Risk of bodily damage increasing]
[Recommendation: cease training]
"One more," Kai murmured stubbornly.
The night air shimmered—just for a moment.
No one saw.
But something ancient noticed.
---
Kai had a goal.
He had seen the future in fragments—pain, loss, beautiful people dying too soon.
Mitsuri smiling through heartbreak.
Rengoku burning bright and vanishing.
Shinobu's quiet rage.
A sun that should never have set.
He would change that.
Not today. Not loudly.
Slowly.
With skills.
With money.
With preparation.
And one day—
With the rebirth of Sun Breathing.
Kai lay back on the grass, staring at the stars above Azabu.
"Just wait," he whispered softly, eyes glowing with quiet resolve.
"I'll protect you all."